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THE ROVING EYE
Pop music won't change
this world
By Pepe Escobar
BRUSSELS - How many Madonnas spreading a
"Ray of Light" or how many Stings stressing "we'll
be watching you" does it take to sway the alleged
leaders of the world who meet this Wednesday at
the annual Group of Eight (G8) summit near a
remote golf course in Scotland?
The
hyped-up British media dubbed Live8 "the biggest
musical event in history", watched by "half the
world". Stiff-upper-lipped editorialists almost
fainted as they elevated to the heavens the
"idealist alliance" between the faded rock star
and Live8 organizer Bob Geldof and the canny
politician, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Geldof wanted to "tilt the world on its axis" for
the benefit of the African poor. Pop music was
supposed to serve as the catalyst, saving us all
from greenhouse gases and rescuing Africa from the
guillotine of foreign debt.
For a moment,
one might have had the impression that the whole
planet last Saturday was wearing white "Make
Poverty History" wristbands. The media hysteria
that has spread across the world, fueled by Bono's
U2 singing "It's a beautiful day", has created
expectations that this G8 summit could "make
poverty history" or even reverse the terrible
damage caused to the environment. No way.
Live8 will have an impact - on CD sales
and iTunes downloads of the Madonnas and Snoopy
Dogs and the reformed Pink Floyd. As for the
global environment - the poor cousin in Live8's
agenda - the Bush White House may have officially
admitted - for the first time ever - that climate
change is at least "to some extent" the US's own
fault. But it's undiluted wishful thinking to
believe that President George W Bush - leader of
the biggest polluting country in the world and a
man who answers to no one but the American energy
lobby - would ever agree to impose strict limits
on carbon emissions.
What you see is
not what you get
The Royal African Society
in Britain, in a fresh report, outlines what the
wealthy North could actually do in practice to
help the poor South, especially Africa. Among its
recommendations: crack down on Western banks and
multinationals complicit in extensive corruption
and money laundering in Africa; stop fueling wars
in Africa, where the West always profits by
selling weapons; and, while exploiting Africa's
natural resources, at least respect corporate
governance, the rule of law and decent labor
practices.
In the past 40 years, aid for
Africa basically has not worked. Now Blair wants
aid doubled. Africans don't want aid. People like
Moeletsi Mbeki - the brother of South African
President Thabo Mbeki - insist that "giving the
money to the people for productive investment" is
the best solution.
The real deal at this
G8 would be if American and European Union farm
subsidies were erased, and true fair trade
relations were offered not only to Africa but to
the rest the world. It won't happen - not as long
as the unelected, undemocratic G8 sets the
controls of the world economy. The "debt relief"
for some African countries approved in early June
- ie, the writing off of much, but not all, of the
debt owed by 18 poor nations, mostly from Africa -
is a myth: it comes with so many conditions that
the countries simply won't benefit from anything.
Moreover, dozens of other African countries were
not "rewarded".
Behind the G8 hype,
tempers will be boiling. Seven heads of state,
excluding the US, simply can't stomach Bush's
fierce opposition to the Kyoto treaty, and even
less Bush's lame admission of responsibility "to
some extent" for climate change. These leaders,
and their populations, know that global warming is
the ultimate long-term threat to the human race,
not to mention the short-term threats, avian flu
and the oil crisis.
France, Germany and
Canada have not forgotten Bush's imperial disaster
in Iraq. Whatever the diplomatic excuses, Germany,
Italy and Canada are definitely not in the mood to
give more aid to Africa. And to top it, France and
Germany are even angrier with Blair than they are
with Bush, because of the recent, acrimonious
dispute on the European Union's budget. Blair has
now embarked on a crusade of his own against the
EU's CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), which the
developing world derides as extremely unfair to
free trade.
And definitively coming back
to earth after the excesses of Live8, what the G8
really means for members like Germany and Japan is
a great opportunity to woo the 53 votes of the
African Union in their bid for a permanent seat in
the UN Security Council.
Once again, only
wishful thinking would allow the wealthy G8 club
to voluntarily eliminate its own trade barriers
that stop African farmers from selling their
products in the North. And even if there was a
semblance of a deal, it would be struck only in
December, at the World Trade Organization meeting
in Hong Kong.
All together now
Some reports say that up to 2 billion
people saw Live8 on television. While most of
Western Europe was Live8-saturated on Saturday
night - with some stations running "best of" bits
until early on Sunday, coverage in the crucial US
was not extensive. Not many people seem to care
about Africa in the US - and certainly not
corporate television. And for most of the 689
million Africans, they didn't even get to see or
read about Live8 - televisions and even newspapers
are a luxury for most. This is a continent where
owning a radio is more precious than owning a
luxury car.
The numbers are extremely
depressing. Africa's gross national product (GNP)
is only US$311 billion - 1% of the global sum. Its
share of world commerce is now just 0.68% - down
from 6% 20 years ago, when Geldof concocted the
original Live Aid. The average annual income per
person is $450. The agricultural subsidies
available to G8 farmers are higher than Africa's
total GNP. You simply can't change this dire state
of things just by waving your hands in the air
along with Madonna and Bono.
(Copyright
2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.
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