The Story About Live Aid and the Music Community's Hope to Stop starvation in Ethiopia

I want to tell you this awesome story about Live Aid. Well, as the story goes , the lead singer of Boomtown Rats, known for his abrasive and caustic tongue; watched a special on the telly about the starving children in Ethiopia. He then went on to establish Band Aid. In 1984, Geldof responded to a BBC news report from Michael Buerk about the famine in Ethiopia by mobilising the pop world to do something about the images he had seen.

As a result of this effort many pop stars contributed to "Do They Know It is Christmas"



After that he was not done. He was desperately motivated and began to solicit bands for Live Aid. For those of you that don't remember it was a benefit concert for the starving in Ethiopia.

It is an incredible story and was a great success. Lighten your heart and watch.
Part 1

Part 11

Part 11

Video 1 is an hour and a half. Video 2 gives an error message.

But I'm certainly glad they've wiped out hunger in Ethiopia. What's their next country? North Korea, maybe? They're really hungry.

originally posted by: charles1952
Video 1 is an hour and a half. Video 2 gives an error message.

But I'm certainly glad they've wiped out hunger in Ethiopia. What's their next country? North Korea, maybe? They're really hungry.

Well, if they could get baby boy Un to quit eating all of their food, that might help.

Don't watch it then. Forget all about it. Ha ha ha Charles. I have been trying to fix the videos. It was a great time in history. Don't blame us regular folk that tried to make a difference in the face of the PTB's destructive policies. The world came together for a minute. Sorry you missed that.

a reply to: charles1952

a reply to: GrantedBail

Don't blame us regular folk that tried to make a difference in the face of the PTB's destructive policies.

How did the destructive policies of the PTB cause a drought?

Why does the US pay farmers to not plant stuff?? There was plenty of food to send to them. There just wasn't a will. Don't get me started. Certainly Bill and Melinda have plenty of money to provide vaccines for our poor African brothers. a reply to: thesaneone

a reply to: GrantedBail

Dear GrantedBail,

I applaud people who try to help, no objection to it whatever. That's the decent human thing to do. Now if this is one-time famine, say an unusual flood or something, I would also say that it is a good way to help.

If it turns out to be recurring problem, maybe the government policies, or corruption, or drought every single year, then I think it's a bad way to help.

What did happen? Was the Ethiopian government sent a check for however many millions of dollars raised? How sure are we that the government didn't use it for it's own purposes?

We've sent food aid to North Korea. It gets eaten by the army and government officials. Putting on a live aid for them would be worse than useless.

With respect,
Charles1952

Sometimes Charles, it is not what is in their heart, it is what is in yours. It was a great time. Don't negate it.

a reply to: charles1952

a reply to: GrantedBail

Dear GrantedBail,

I don't know if you'll believe me, but this post is perfectly honest and clean. No attempt to sway anybody's opinion, no tricks or traps. I'm asking because I truly don't know, and you may be saying something important that I don't understand.

Sometimes Charles, it is not what is in their heart, it is what is in yours.

What's in my heart is always the fundamental question for all of us. I haven't given any thought to Live Aid before, so anything that's in my heart happened in this thread. I tried to convey the idea that I liked people getting together to help solve a problem. What, then, is in my heart, and is it good or bad?

It was a great time. Don't negate it.

I'm sure. People enjoy going to concerts, people enjoy helping. I'm not clear how I'm negating it.

Are you thinking that because I'm wondering if there could have been a better result, that I'm negating it? But I don't even know what the result was. I don't know how often this has been done, how much money was raised, what happened to the money, whether the problem is solved. How am I negating it by asking questions about it?

With respect,
Charles1952

a reply to: GrantedBail

Dear GrantedBail,

I just took a quick look at Wiki for Ethiopia and Starvation. Here are the first two paragraphs:

Traditionally the Economy of Ethiopia was based on subsistence agriculture, with an aristocracy that consumed the surplus. Due to a number of causes, the peasants lacked incentives to either improve production or to store their excess harvest; as a result, they lived from harvest to harvest.

Despite the extensive modernization of Ethiopia in the last 120 years, as of 2006 the overwhelming majority of the population are peasants who still live from harvest to harvest, and are vulnerable to crop failures. This is exacerbated by land grabbing.

With respect,
Charles1952

a reply to: GrantedBail

Dear GrantedBail,

I don't know if you'll believe me, but this post is perfectly honest and clean. No attempt to sway anybody's opinion, no tricks or traps. I'm asking because I truly don't know, and you may be saying something important that I don't understand.

Sometimes Charles, it is not what is in their heart, it is what is in yours.

What's in my heart is always the fundamental question for all of us. I haven't given any thought to Live Aid before, so anything that's in my heart happened in this thread. I tried to convey the idea that I liked people getting together to help solve a problem. What, then, is in my heart, and is it good or bad?

It was a great time. Don't negate it.

I'm sure. People enjoy going to concerts, people enjoy helping. I'm not clear how I'm negating it.

Are you thinking that because I'm wondering if there could have been a better result, that I'm negating it? But I don't even know what the result was. I don't know how often this has been done, how much money was raised, what happened to the money, whether the problem is solved. How am I negating it by asking questions about it?

With respect,
Charles1952

a reply to: charles1952

All those bands played for free Sir. All the proceeds "hopefully" went to the cause.


Respectfully;
Gramted

a reply to: GrantedBail

Dear GrantedBail,

That's wonderful. Very good news and it shows their hearts were in the right place.

With respect,
Charles1952

originally posted by: GrantedBail
Don't watch it then. Forget all about it. Ha ha ha Charles. I have been trying to fix the videos. It was a great time in history. Don't blame us regular folk that tried to make a difference in the face of the PTB's destructive policies. The world came together for a minute. Sorry you missed that.

a reply to: charles1952

Wow, GrantedBail, you've got a bunch of Debbie Downers answering your post! So let me tip the balance a wee tad (because I remember Live Aid and I remember how it really touched me, that all these performers cared about something other than turning a buck and being famous.)

Thanks for posting this and reminding me of a time when the average person talked about this event with a sense of pride in their fellow man doing something like this, instead of cynicism and joking about it.

The real brains behind Live Aid was Midge Ure. He didn't want to be the front man so he asked the ever loud Bob Geldof. Apparently most of the money etc went to Government officials who where, not long after, driving around in fancy cars etc. The World was duped again. Corruption wins the day, as usual!

Here is an iconic picture. Although it was taken 10 years later it shows that the world has forgotten about a population that really could be saved it there was a will.. But there is not. All the money is spent on securing footholds in resource rich nations and using whatever means there are to do that. We are witnessing all of that now.





a reply to: charles1952

a reply to: DrunkYogi

I would really like to see some proof of your accusation. Not that I doubt it. I know how corrupt things all are. I was hoping to have a sense of good will about this event

While the effort was certainly gallant, we never know who we may be dealing with when innocent people are involved in needy charities.

Lots of skimming and scamming is always possible.

The BBC has evidence that millions of dollars, earmarked for victims of the Ethiopian famine of 1984-85, went to buy weapons.

The investigation found claims that a rebel movement in Ethiopia diverted the aid to fund its attempt to overthrow the government of the time.

Rebel soldiers said they posed as merchants as "a trick for the NGOs".

Documents released by the CIA confirmed aid was "almost certainly being diverted for military purposes".


Ethiopia famine aid 'spent on weapons' - BBC News


Ethiopia rejects Live Aid theft

Hmmm

Oh brother, that makes me sick to my stomach. I am sure that wasn't the intention of the ones that contributed.

Like I said in an earlier post. "It is what is in your heart that matters."

You know, sometimes I am pulling out of a grocery store or some other shopping center, and I will see a man or a woman holding a cardboard sign with writhing on it explaining their plight. I always give them something. Depends on how hefty my wallet is on how much I give. My kid asked me once, "Mom, you know these people are not for reals and they are scamming." And I responded to him, and I hope he carries this throughout his life: "It doesn't matter what is in his heart; it only matters what is in yours".

I live my life like that. I try to pass it on


a reply to: xuenchen

a reply to: GrantedBail

This was also done in the 1980's and put together by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones.

"We Are The World"


Nice to know others haven't forgot. No fraud either!



ETA
When Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles sang....oooohhhhh, goosebumps