Live 8 'needs black performers'
2005-06-02 14:06
London - A bold plan by Irish rocker-turned-activist Bob Geldof for multi-city concerts to combat poverty in Africa ran into flak on Wednesday when it became clear how few black artists are involved.
With the arguable exception of Mariah Carey, none of the headliners for the centrepiece Live 8: The Long Walk to Justice concert at Hyde Park in London on July 2 are black, let alone African.
It's a bit better elsewhere, with Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour and British soulman Craig David on the bill in Paris, former Fugee Lauryn Hill in Berlin, and rapper 50 Cent and the legendary Stevie Wonder in Philadelphia.
"It's disappointing, to say the least," said Justin Onyeka, entertainment editor of the New Nation, a weekly newspaper in London that serves Britain's black community.
"I would have thought they'd have learned from 20 years ago (when Live8's celebrated predecessor Live Aid was held) when most black people on stage were either backing singers or in Sting's backing band," he said.
Shaggy-haired Geldof, who fronted the 1980s New Wave band Boomtown Rats, announced Live8 at a press conference in London on Tuesday, saying he wanted to see the shows put pressure on G8 leaders to act urgently on poverty in Africa.
"The concert is the beginning," the hard-driving singer-turned-activist declared. "This is a genuine solidarity of the people. It is a shared concern for another continent."
The shows will coincide with a Make Poverty History rally in Scotland's capital Edinburgh that is expected to draw 200 000 protesters ahead of the annual G8 summit in Gleneagles on July 6-8.
Chart-topping acts
A Live 8 concert in Rome with mainly Italian acts is also planned, and Geldof said he'd like to see concerts as well in the other G8 countries - Canada, Japan and Russia.
The most-watched show will be in London, where the line-up will include chart-topping white acts like Coldplay, Dido, Elton John, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, REM, Scissor Sisters, Sting, Joss Stone, Robbie Williams and U2.
This is despite the fact that Britain's black music scene is as vibrant as ever, generating such winning R&B, rap, soul and jazz stars as Ms Dynamite, Estelle, Jamelia, Soweto Kinch, Beverley Knight and Dizzie Rascal.
Spokespeople for Live 8 did not return calls on Wednesday, leaving black music enthusiasts to only hope that black acts will yet find their way onto the stage in the coming weeks.
"London's diverse communities feel every bit as passionate about debt write-off and free trade and increased aid as anyone else," said Lester Holloway of online news service Blink.
"There's still time for Sir Bob and friends to make amends," Holloway said. "They really do need to be more diverse and multicultural - and not just support (warm-up) acts, but headliners."
"I cannot believe Lemar is not there," the Zambia-born, London-based reggae singer Chiozo, soon to embark on his own Cape-to-Cairo musical trek by foot, told Blink. "If there's any justice in the world, he would be."