Live 8 Rock
By Mike Collett-White and Mark Egan
LONDON/PHILADELPHIA (Reuters)
After a galaxy of stars rocked the world in the largest live concert ever held, organisers on Sunday looked to a summit of rich nations to see if people power would change policy on poverty.
Over a million people listened to rock and pop musicians at venues across four continents on Saturday to demand that leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised countries meeting in Scotland on Wednesday relieve African debt and boost aid.
"For God's sake, take this seriously. Don't behave normally. Don't look for compromises. Be great," Live 8 organisers said in a joint statement after the concerts ended.
More than 26 million people worldwide sent text messages on Saturday in support of Live 8, setting a world record for a single event, organisers said. They had also expected up to two billion people to tune into the show worldwide.
In Edinburgh, close to where the G8 meets, 200,000 demonstrators marched peacefully through the city to back the Make Poverty History campaign.
The media in Britain, where the build-up to Live 8 has had a higher profile than in other countries, hailed organiser, rocker Bob Geldof, and the 170 pop acts who graced stages.
"A beautiful day," read the front page headline in the Independent on Sunday. "Is that loud enough for you?" asked the Sunday Times. But others are more sceptical.
In Philadelphia, where hundreds of thousands crammed the streets to hear Will Smith and Stevie Wonder, singer Alicia Keys questioned America's interest in helping Africa.
"America has a sense of disconnect when it comes to Africa or places that are very far away because many of us, most of us, won't get the opportunity to see those places," she said. Limited television coverage in the United States could also dampen the impact of such an impressive show of people power.
No comments:
Post a Comment