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Hmm, I think the point of this has been lost somewhere along the line. The exposure and press coverage hasn't hurt the reputations of the celebrities involved, sure, but would anyone have cared if they hadn't been there? In truth, it was never about the celebrities, they weren't really anything more than a tool to raise Live 8's profile as much as possible, which was essential in making the event as huge as it was and drawing the worldwide audience it did.
Still, there's some warped western logic behind throwing a series of huge, expensive parties to raise awareness of the situation in Africa, but if that's what it takes to get peoples attention then so be it. After all, we're all talking about it now, aren't we? With that being the case, surely constructive criticism of the concerts themselves should lead to suggestions (from people other than politicians) of better, more efficient ways in which the west can assist Africa, as well as improved methods of raising awareness that will, in the end, benefit the continent's poverty stricken populations.
It would be foolish to forget that raising awareness was the primary objective the concerts were designed to achieve, and in fairness Africa has been pushed far higher up the G8 agenda than it perhaps would have been had they not taken place. No one has ignored Live 8 and the issue is on the table at the exact right time. I don't know if anything of substance will come from it or if the G8 leaders will simply bicker until a paper agreement is reluctantly reached or what, but like I said, at least they're talking about it and talking about it seriously. It's debatable whether that would have truly been the case had Live 8 never occurred.
Word to Geldof.
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