Originally posted by Malahide:Why people criticize Bono. He's been in Africa already while he was relatively unknown (Ethiopia 1985) and since then has brought Africa to the attention of people as one of the few people who didn't let go on this subject. Ok, the speeches during a concert sometimes bore me as well, but we all know that's part of being Bono. Bono, the man you love to hate, guess someone has to take that part.
But during economic downturn I also can understand people say that first look into your own country and then solve others. Holland is a small country and we give loads to charities. But still we have water, food, tv, radio, can go to concerts, have a car, electric etc etc
One thing I've always wondered though, 28 years after live aid 1, why is this still an issue, where has all the money gone, and it must be loads of money. Dictators, civil wars? It's like throwing money in a well without a bottom and you never see it back. To solve problems this needs to be structured. As we say here, don't give them fish but learn them how to fish. In that regards, Edun was to help local farmers. And there came the critics again, they do it for the money, to get them a conscious blahblah. Also here again, they (Ali and Bono) sticked in what they believe, taking large losses in the begin. That's why they moved production also to fair trade companies in China, but now try to go back to their original business plan, with help of Diesel.
Will there ever be no hunger? Who knows. It's all about the money. If only we could stop cheap fabricating and support economies/build partnerships by placing orders there that would help much more then throwing just millions over the fence.
To come back to Bono, if people say he actually doesn't give a s..t about Africa, listen to the 360 concert from Johannesburg where he was few times in tears taking about the continent.
I think that aid indeed didn't work that well at the time of Live Aid. I think it has gotten much smarter now, it's much more about creating the conditions for countries to lift themselves out of poverty so that they won't need aid any more. Normal aid money is only a short term solution, I think that has been realized.
