Africa

Thesis: Bongo and Geldof are wankers; the Live 8 lineup was shite; people don't understand the issues.

OK, here's your chance to state what YOU would do...

Discuss.

Cunts!

But it was nice to see Pink Floyd.

Yes, but that's a given in the thesis. The question is, given that Bongo and Geldof are clueless cunts, what would you do differently to help Africa?

Hmmm...

Maybe send some medics, doctors and money?

How many songs did the Floyd perform? They showed a little of it on ABC last night, that's the only performance I would have loved to see at all. No one's said, but I doubt Syd Barrett came out of his exile to join "the boys" onstage...

But back to the point: it was about "awareness" this time around, not "raising money to go to a corrupt African regime which would then squander the funds and participate in one of the worst genocides in human history" (Darfur's in Sudan, right?). So this time around it's harmless showboating. And who doesn't love to see celebrities tell them what they should do?

Something tells me the G8 will not cancel Africa's debt, though :(

Comfortably Numb was NICE

Taboo # 7 wrote: How many songs did the Floyd perform? They showed a little of it on ABC last night, that's the only performance I would have loved to see at all. No one's said, but I doubt Syd Barrett came out of his exile to join "the boys" onstage...

But back to the point: it was about "awareness" this time around, not "raising money to go to a corrupt African regime which would then squander the funds and participate in one of the worst genocides in human history" (Darfur's in Sudan, right?). So this time around it's harmless showboating. And who doesn't love to see celebrities tell them what they should do?

Something tells me the G8 will not cancel Africa's debt, though :(

4 songs

Comfortably Numb

Good choice

White people ARE definitely responsible for what's been happening to Africa for the last 40 years. White man came to Africa and devided it into colonies, brought bits of civilization, weapon and etc. and left it shamelessly in 1950-70s. And Africa almost immediately sunk into tribal wars, interstate wars and so forth. Many African states even are not correctly demarked and hence we've got problems with minor nations and major nations within one country. Before there were tribes with limited capacities, now there are "presidents" who dictate the whole country whom to kill, not forgetting to ask their former metropolies for "help".

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: White people ARE definitely responsible for what's been happening to Africa for the last 40 years. White man came to Africa and devided it into colonies, brought bits of civilization, weapon and etc. and left it shamelessly in 1950-70s. And Africa almost immediately sunk into tribal wars, interstate wars and so forth. Many African states even are not correctly demarked and hence we've got problems with minor nations and major nations within one country. Before there were tribes with limited capacities, now there are "presidents" who dictate the whole country whom to kill, not forgetting to ask their former metropolies for "help".

I love the irony of a man who uses the Rebel Flag as his avatar saying how white people are the cause for everything that's bad in Africa.

But you're absolutely right: arbitrary borders created by white settlers that divided natural tribal regions (much as in the Middle East under the control of Britain in the post-WWI era) have led to the problems many African "nations" face today. Years of neglect and poverty, with crippling debts owned to colonial barons who exploited the natural resources for their own greed (Cecil Rhodes, anyone?) have fostered upon the continent a situation that begs for remedy, and yet...we need a bunch of concerts to remind us all in the more developed world that our African brothers are dying like nobody's business, and need our help. Charity is a lost art in the modern era, and while I'd like to think race has nothing to do with it I can't help but wonder if the US and Europe would be more willing to release Africa of its debt if a few more victims looked like people we know. Just as the news media only covers a missing story when it's a pretty white girl and not a pretty black one, they only cover a genocide when it occurs in Kosovo, not Darfur. That is a major stain on any recordings of this time being more "enlightened" than the past

Raise the price of AK47s ($25 is too cheap)

Convince males that fucking 11 year old girls spreads AIDS

Have France, Portugal and Belguim, pay reparations for the lousy way they decolonized, often without much notice and the denial of "debating societies" or National Congress left many of the colonies without the leadership necessary to build a stable society.

Indeed the decolonization was carried out very bad. The metropolies thought that their leaving was a gift big enough for their liberated colonies. It's so odd that nobody could think other way back in 1958-1980. How different global mindset is now.

There should have been special UN programs for the new independent countries in Africa; there should have been provisional goverments under UN or metropoly supervision; there should have been temporary terms before a country would get its final independence (maybe 10 years or so, a kind of dominion status). But the truth is that the metropolies left their colonies in such a hurry because it was an increasing burden to maintain them (not to mention nationalist wars that started to spring here and there with a big help from the USSR). And BECAUSE of the incresaing pressure from the "liberal" global society They were so happy in 1960, the African Year, when almost the half of Africa got independent... But who thought more perspectively and wisely?

The solution is radical but goes thus;

1. Abolish all immigration laws.

2. Establish a global single currency.

3. Create a truly democratic parliament of nations through the UN.

I self published a fictional novel about such a 'cloud cuckoo land' at:

http://www.20six.co.uk/cloudcuckooland

I know my plan is crazy and that no-one agrees with me; but humanity will be looking at extinction in a couple hundred years if we carry on the way we are.

Fuckin' A, the US was the first and about the only nation to bitch about Sudan. Noticed that the major European powers did not intervene in Rhwanda. European intervention in Yugoslavia/Serbia/Bosnia/Croatia/Titoland never materialized. Not African but notice that the French failed to do anything in Haiti, a french speaking nation? So the US decides it's time for UN to put up or shut up and invades Iraq. Never saw the US getting help with enforcing the No Fly Zones. I have friends that had to man those a/c and get shot at.

The UN is such a fucking joke. Parker and Stone hit it right on the head in Team America when Hans Blix told Kim Jong II that if he did not cooperate with inspections then the UN would be very mad and write him a letter telling him just how the UN was.

Yep, the US fucked up with the Iraqi invasion but we will see how this ends up. Imagine a stable democratic Islamic nation. Rare.

Now that Iraq is liberated, they'll finally be able to democratically elect the government they've always wanted- a right-wing Islamic theocracy! :D

Hannett of the Apes wrote: Now that Iraq is liberated, they'll finally be able to democratically elect the government they've always wanted- a right-wing Islamic theocracy! :D

I prefer the whole world opting in, but yes, that's a good idea. With the resources they've got the USA (United States of Africa) would easily be the biggest superpower in the world!

Spotnick wrote:

Oh well, each country has its problem, gay weddings are now legal in Canada

(not that there is anything wrong with it!)

---

I hope this was tongue in cheek. I think there are bigger issues.

szwajkos technique wrote:

Spotnick wrote:

Oh well, each country has its problem, gay weddings are now legal in Canada

(not that there is anything wrong with it!)

---

I hope this was tongue in cheek. I think there are bigger issues.

I'm pro gay weddings or civil unions or whatever the hell people want to call them - legal recognition of loving partnerships of people from any gender.

Maybe this can of worms should stay closed or move to a new thread? - I'm not starting it...!

craigy wrote: I prefer the whole world opting in, but yes, that's a good idea. With the resources they've got the USA (United States of Africa) would easily be the biggest superpower in the world!

First, they have to overcome an obstacle that divides Africa now pretty much: there is Arabic Africa and there is Black Africa. Hence the shit in the Sudan, Nigeria. They have to learn how co-exist peacefully.

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote:

craigy wrote: I prefer the whole world opting in, but yes, that's a good idea. With the resources they've got the USA (United States of Africa) would easily be the biggest superpower in the world!

First, they have to overcome an obstacle that divides Africa now pretty much: there is Arabic Africa and there is Black Africa. Hence the shit in the Sudan, Nigeria. They have to learn how co-exist peacefully.

Religion is just an excuse. The root of the problems are poverty. A USE (United States of Earth) would be much better than a USA (United States of Africa or America come to that...).

Go look at;

http://www.20six.co.uk/cloudcuckooland