Africa: Media Bias,Singing Celebs and Intentions.

[Faarax-Brawn]

Asalaam Aleykum.

 

Gents and Ladies.

 

"Who's interested if the leader of Niger goes on Newsnight? It's 'Get Geldof'. I'm 'Mr. Bloody Africa'. I'd dearly love not to have to go there the day after tomorrow. More often than not it bores me profoundly - the pace of change is far too slow, and Africans excuse their own complicity in exactly the same way as our politicians.

"Bizarrely, in our society there's confusion between politicians and celebrities. Bono and I are under no illusions. We have an ability to articulate the great wound of the 21st century, and have access to politicians. But would Bono prefer to do this or be in U2? Hello?"

I found this Statement to be Very irritating, demeaning and most importantly true to its core. Sir Geldof spoke the above statement. He, (rightly so) is fed up and tired of speaking for Africa. He finds it boring. He regrets that he should never have spoken for Africa in the first place.

 

 

My Question to you learned Sons and daughters of Africa,

 

Is it that the Western Media doesn’t give Africa airtime? Are African leaders ignored? Are African leaders capable of stepping up to the plate? Is there even a dynamic African leader today? (Except for Mandela.)

 

Why are Other people speaking for Africa? Where are the leaders?

 

Why do they have the need to speak,act and sing for Africa? Then turn around and give up halfway?

 

Do they do it for Publicity?, do they do it for selfishness? Are they Genuine?

 

What are the repercussions, consequences and effects of these kinds of bias (or negligence from Africans?)

 

What would you suggest? Given the chances will you speak for AFRICA?

[Rising Phoenix]

Unfortunately, it seems that Africans need a leader to speak for them. Seems like all Black People do. If its not Mandela, then it must be Malik or Muhammad Ali. The average African or Black person cannot do anything for him/herself.

 

And those put in the positions to help their people? They are too busy burning and killing, feeding their greed with any and everything they take off the people. The people who are too busy trying to survive.

 

That is if they dont burn and kill on their way to the top.

 

I dont know why the Africans cant speak for themselves. Maybe its because they have been repressed for so long that they have forgotten how to use their voice.

 

But what about the Africans in the West? Hhm? What about the fully "educated" (since that matters so much) Africans who live here? What is stopping them from helping their people. Do we need the white man to come in and "save the day"....after he ruined it?

 

If anyone can do something, it will be us. Who have the knowledge and who can get the power.....

 

But no....seems like we need a leader as well....

[underdog]

I don't believe this dilemma is limited to Africans or black people. The entire planet is divided and not along racial lines, not even along religious lines.

 

The world is divided into the haves and the have-nots. We are Africans and we are deeply affected by and can easily recognize the problems in our home countries.

But living in a western society the people here are caught up in a different trap which seems more humane than famine and civil war, but the financial debt systems in 1st world countries ensure their inhabitants worry about the next mortgage payment and credit card minimum balance and car payments. They live in a civil community that is slowly bleeding them while at the same time convincing them they live in paradise. Their leaders don't speak up for them either and the few that try to raise social awareness are calssified as anarchists and communists.

 

Africa doesn't have that luxury. Blatant pillaging and greed by our so called leaders backed by foriegn governments and corporations has left the continent bare and unsafe. The few who spoke up against the inhumanity and suggested actual plans for reform were never able to find the right medium to enlighten the people and if they did they were soon silenced.

 

The next generation have been raised in fear and hunger and have no idea what justice is, let alone how to pursue it. So that leaves us...yes the missing children of a needy continent. Education may be the key to it all but it might be counter-effective if we lack the intelligence to separate the skills and strategies we need to fix the problem from the thinking and system that caused the problem in the first place.

 

A lot of us feel that something is wrong but we can't focus long enough to clearly recognizing the symptoms, identifing the causes and produce remedies that will cure the person, then the community, then the nation and finally the continent.

 

It's not enough to have a forum to speak, but what will you say when you get the chance?

[Faarax-Brawn]

UD & Phnx. Thanks for the Input.

 

Granted, this is not a phenomenon that is limited to Africans. True, many developing nations face the same dilemma. However I am an African, I hail from the Motherland. My focus is Africa. The title said ‘Africa’.

 

That’s beside the point, for I was speaking of celebrities and their need (obsession?) to speak, sing and dance for Africa and then turn around (as sir Geldof did) give up half way down the road.

However what particularly irked me about sir Geldofs statement was not the words or the crude language he used. See as the founder of Africa live, I thought his statement on this particular issue was quite unforgivable. These comments, which were made as Africa has moved to the top of the agenda of the Group of Eight rich nations (of course to discuss debt forgiveness and development) made me wonder why did this man waste all his time and energy in the first place campaigning for Africa’s issues.

 

Now in defense of sir geldof I believe his sentiments are somewhat understandable. I mean he is right when he says who is interested in the president of Niger, (do you even know his name?), comes to CNN and tells the western audience about how great Niger is. Will John smith carpenter listen to this man? To their audience (john Jane smith) that’s just another N-I-G-G-A. Trying to get some of his cash.

 

Now, the picture changes if a white man (famous one), shows up and speaks for Africa and all over sudden the media, the pundits and all that comes with chant the old cry of ‘Africa needs help’. Is this racism?

 

Some one is a racist. Be it the audience, sir geldof, or the CEO at the news channels. Does racism play a role in this?

 

i dont know what to think anymore.

 

It's not enough to have a forum to speak, but what will you say when you get the chance?

this is the quetsion of the century. But if and when i know what to say, will they hear me?