Fernilandia

Live 8

Call me a party pooper, but like Liam Gallagher recently said:

"People with guitars do not change the world."

I agree.

20 years after the Live Aid of 1985, we find Africa in a worst situation than it was back then. But yet again, the rockstars of the world, commanded by Geldof, Bono, and Chris Martin, are up for a revenge against African poverty, by turning there powerful guitars to the youth of developed countries, and expecting them to pressure there goverments to give billions of aid to Africa.

But is this anything new? Haven't governments already given billions of dollars to Africa. Bono would argue that it's still "not enough" but is there any economic proof that Aid has ever helped any country who has received it?

No.

To this day, there has been no country who has seen a reduction in it's poverty thanks to Aid. What economics have seen is that economic growth DOES reduce poverty like you can see in this chart published in the Economist.



So is this "aid" relief that Live 8 is pushing for, and the package that Mr. Blair is proposing in Gleaneagles this week, going to help Africa in the long run? I don't think so.

If Aid has never worked before, why should it work now? African institutions are so corrupt that if they send 2 billion dollars of aid, a big chunk of that money is going straight into the government's bosses swiss bank accounts.

Live 8 was a good concert where I watched Chris Martin rock with Richard Aschcroft with Bittersweet Symphony, and Bono joining McCartney on stage to sing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club's Band. But that is it. Live 8 is not going to save the world, because the youth that it was directed to, has a short term memory, so grave that half of them are going to forget about what they saw in a week, and fill there brain with other, less complicated stuff.

And even if they remembered, Aid will never help Africa. If this countries want to help Africa they should impulse trade, EDUCATE, help make investments in capital, and infrastructure, to generate economic growth.

Another problem I have against the Live 8, is that it bothers me how European countries channel allt here energy to Africa, and completely ignore Latin Americans. It's like they believe the only poor in the world live there, when for example in Mexico there are 40 million people living with $1 dollar or less a day. Countries like Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Colombia are in the verge of collapsing, and Europeans do NOTHING. One of the main reasons of European prosperity today, is the amount of riches that they stole out of countries like Mexico, yet there is no talk of Aid packages (which I don't implore of getting), but what I do wish, is a removal of european union protection to it's agriculture. Billions of dollars of subsidies are still given every year, which makes mexican fruits and vegetables, a lot better in quality and cheaper to produce, impossible to compete in the European market.

If Europe really wants to make poverty history, then they shouldn't make it sound like POVERTY only exists in Africa, start reducing agriculture subsidies, and other trade barriers.

posted by Elfego Elgazu @ 4:45 PM