Saturday, 10 cities around the world will host some of pop music’s biggest names as part of the “Live 8” concert series (www.live8live.com). Organizer Bob Geldof hopes large turnouts will pressure the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations, meeting in Scotland next week, to help put “an end to poverty” in Africa. He also hopes the rock shows will boost awareness about Africa’s plight – and how the wealthy world can help.
The Monitor decided to find out what some Western concertgoers really know about Africa, and where there is – and isn’t – common ground with Africans.
Our correspondents spoke with eight ticket-holders for concerts in Philadelphia, London, and Rome. They also interviewed eight people in Senegal and Nigeria, two indebted African nations.
As it turns out, the two groups have different priorities. Nearly every Westerner mentioned HIV/AIDS as a top African problem. Only one African did. Every African cited poverty as a major worry. And most wanted investment – not aid.
We also asked some lighter questions. Could the Westerners name even one African leader? (Only half could.) Did the Africans know what U2 is? (Most didn’t).
The Africans universally agreed that their continent is culturally richer than many Westerners can imagine, but that their leaders are fundamentally corrupt. That’s why this group all advocated that “strings” be tied to aid to prevent it from going astray.
