Citation
Wilson, H.C. (2005), "Pop stars to the rescue again?", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 14 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2005.07314daa.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Pop stars to the rescue again?
Once again the world of popular music has been stirred into action by the plight of people living in Africa. Since Live Aid, which raised over £70 million, many stars of music, sport and film have been involved world wide by acting as front people for various charities that are trying to keep the plight of the victims on the front pages of the world press and to increase media coverage of that plight.
Now comes Live 8, which was targeted at the members of the G8 summit held this summer in one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland where luxury is a norm, with concerts held in London, Rome, Berlin, Paris and Philadelphia on 2 July this year. It is amazing that the world of entertainment can muster all of the resources required for these huge events, plus radio and TV coverage in a matter of months, whilst the governments of the G8 nations fail to agree, year on year, on a concerted action to move towards assisting Africa out of its plight.
Nearly 40 million recorded cases of HIV or AIDS worldwide; nearly 5 million people contracted the HIV virus, and 3.1 million died of full-blown AIDS; and that was last year alone.
Many cultural issues assist in the spread of HIV and these traditions, taboos, and stigma are difficult to overcome, even with the increased education provided through the work of the UN and many charities. So, there is no easy fix to the problem, but the most worrying aspect is that the increase is mainly within the 15-24 year old age group, which in turn leads to an increase in the number of newborn who have the virus. The disease is wiping out the very people that Africa needs to help rebuild the continent.
The triple whammy of corruption, AIDS, and failed crops has left many millions without hope. What must they think of us? The mother pulling up grass to make into soup for her starving children knows little of the other world where luxury is a norm, where food is a mere trifle that can be thrown away, where money can be spent freely on frivolities, where people can spend 1,000s of pounds to fly 1,000s of miles just for a short break from their working environment. As she buries her dead child in a shallow grave scraped out of sun-baked earth with her bare hands, what would she think of us if she knew?
H.C. Wilson