Live8, Olympic Games, terrorist attacks. A different summer in London.
Two thousand and five folks.

8 lives

First week of July. Unforgettable is the word that is bouncing in my head.

After a June too hot to believe, so far July has delivered only rainy and windy and cold weather. And I should know more than anyone else, cause every given day I'm cycling to work and back, and trying to find the right configuration of clothes is getting too tricky with someone with a small selection of clothes like me (just like any real men - all I need is socks and two exchangeable underwear. The rest stays the same)

It's all started with the Live8. I must admit, I tried to get a ticket, I even sent three expensive (£1.50 each) text messages to the ballot, but I didn't. I would have probably tried to flog it on ebay, at the risk of being branded as a wretch by Bob Geldof, the man who hates the Ebay pimping machine and who loves Africa and who loves his (superstars) friends so much he had to create a golden circle just in front of the live8 stage to let them see the best bit of the actions, relegating normal fans a football pitch away.
I admire more Midge Ure. The poor bloke probably worked his balls off to organize the event with Bob and he didn't even get the chance to perform (while Bob, unfortunately, did) and no one gave him credit.

I don't want to criticize the event, after all we all need some of the "feel good for one day feeling" (sitting on the sofa with telly on), but personally I think that the all idea behind the live8 (raising awareness - not money - about the African issues at the G8) was a great, spectacular failure. Entertaining if you want, but useless, if I may.

Africa has many problems, and, just like this article points out

We are eager to commend creditors' cancellation of debts (debts that have been well overpaid anyway!) ignoring the enormous sacrifices via deprivations, deaths and malnutrition (42 per cent lack access to water!) debt-induced SAPs (structural adjustment programmes) imposed on the peoples of the continent. This is the logical fall-out of a Bob Geldof charity paradigm according to which what Africans need to develop is the "sympathy" and "understanding" of the international community whose policies of conditionality structurally fuels stagnation and underdevelopment in the continent.

Let us remember that industrial revolution that propelled Europe to prosperity was not done through concert for more hand-outs but through mobilization of human and material resources for development. China is the fastest growing economy, but its leaders have not patted themselves at the back for some token belated and indirect relief they get by endless trips to Europe but through competitive industrialization and mass mobilization of local resources for domestic needs. The legendry Bob-Marley long warned Africans to emancipate themselves from mental slavery

You will find few articles criticizing the Live8 or at least the goals behind it, but this one was close to my thoughts.

At least the concert was great. Sitting on the telly and watching all those performers was good. I never was a big Floyd fan, but my good old flat mate Rob got emotional. I'm trying now shamelessly to jump on the Pink Floyd bandwagon to pretend I love them like no one else before.

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