They played two encores, and each was dedicated to a particular political cause. The first was about Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese elected leader being held under house arrest. And the second, was about the epidemics of AIDS and Malaria in Africa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nkiEz-X5l4). This experience came at the perfect time for me. I was touched by their conviction and passion about these issues, and felt even more empowered about my upcoming journey.
However, it got me thinking...
I went to the concert to be entertained, not to be fed a political agenda. I wanted to hear the encore, but to do so, I had to hear U2's message. In principle, I find this somewhat objectionable. But the truth is, I enjoyed every minute of it; it had so much meaning for me. So I guess I was okay with it since I share a similar world view. If their message had been in support of white supremacy or antisemitism (for example), I would not have been okay with it. Is that hypocritical? Perhaps.
Anyhow, it's funny how things happen at the right time. Having only booked this trip to Africa several weeks ago, I found myself the other evening in witness of this amazing concert. It brought me greater confidence and certainty about my decision to go to Africa. Then, only a day later, I stumbled across a book called "The End of Poverty" by Jeffrey D. Sachs. I will be reading it on my trip, but wanted to share something from the foreword, which was, interestingly enough, written by Bono:
Fifteen thousand people dying needlessly every day from AIDS, TB and malaria. Mothers, fathers, teachers, farmers, nurses, mechanics, children. This is Africa's crisis. That it's not on the nightly news, that we do not treat this as an emergency - that's our crisis.How true.
I am even more certain now.
