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Irish rocker Bono [of U2] left his band mates to take the podium at the Music Hall at Fair Park in Dallas on Friday [May 5, 2006]. A sold out audience of nearly 3,500 packed the house to hear Bono spoke on the humanitarian crisis in Africa.
“If you’re expecting the band, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Bono joked. “I don’t even tell them I do these things.”
In a tour across the United States, Bono used his fame to draw attention to the overwhelming crisis of poverty, AIDS and devastation in Africa. It was one of many international cries to politicians and worldwide leaders to call for justice in the damaged country.
As the night began, President of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, Jim Falk welcomed the crowd. He spoke about the Council and the many programs it provides.
Before bringing the key addresser to the stage, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison introduced Bono and talked about his great effort for Africa. She also told a story of him when he was asked to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year.
“[He has] Deeds to match his words,” said Senator Hutchison.
After months of trying to get Bono to come to Dallas, the WAC of DFW finally got the rock star to agree to come down south. And in true Bono fashion, his speech was powerful and humorous, yet blunt and emotional, while urging the country to take notice of Africa. He even greeted Dallas with a Texas tradition, the Hook’em horns sign.
As Bono began his speech, he laughed about his first time in Dallas, many years ago. In 1981, U2 had their first show in Dallas. Tickets sold for about a dollar and the concert was even billed with a wet T-shirt contest. Still, only about 30 people showed up that night the singer joked.
Proceeding in speech, the Irishman stated his objective for the evening. “I’m going to talk about three things today - music and politics and business,” Bono said. “And also, tragedy, opportunity, and even adventure.”
Growing up in the depressed Dublin area in the 1970’s, the band that proved to be most influential to the singer was the English punk band, the Clash.
“Music was my political education,” he said.
Bono first began his journey with Africa during the Live Aid concert in 1984. “The journey that brought me here [with Africa] was music. And the journey that brought me here again was music.”
His first time in the country he now fights so hard for was in 198-. Bono and his wife Ali spent a month in Ethiopia, visiting an orphanage. “I was called the girl with the beard,” he said, referring to his time with a mullet.
Telling the story of the day he left Ethiopia, Bono hit a more serious note. A man asked him to take his child back to Ireland with him. “…because he knew his son would live in Ireland, but here we would die,” Bono said emotionally. “But I did not.”
“In that moment I think I started this journey. And in that moment, I became the worst thing of all, a rock star with a cause,” he sarcastically stated.
Throughout his speech, Bono stressed that the situation in Africa is not just a cause of a celebrity, but an emergency. Thousands of Africans dying everyday cannot be just a cause he said in his appeal.
And what the Irishman is urging the people to do is not charity either, he points out. It is about justice. “It’s too bad,” Bono adds to his point. “Because like the Irish, Americans are good at charity.”
Pushing the envelope further, Bono says that the crisis in Africa is one about equality. “…let’s be honest, equality is a pain in the ass.” he says bluntly. “This wouldn’t happen in other countries. It wouldn’t happen in America and it wouldn’t happen in Europe.”
“What we demand for ourselves and we deny for others, that’s injustice,” he said. Withholding the lifesaving drugs because of the deference to the Office of Patents, the singer demanded, that is injustice. These drugs could help eliminate the diseases that plague Africa, like AIDS, and that is a prime example of that injustice.
Everyday, diseases that can be eliminated with modern medicine are killing thousands of Africans.
While talking about war, the rock star states that, “Global war is bound up by global poverty.” While half the crowd seems to not know what to make of the musician’s comment, Bono then announces he just quoted former US Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
Then he talked about the horrific genocide in the region of Sudan, a country in the southeast of Africa. “Pray for a peaceful result in Sudan,” Bono said.
Africa is 40 percent Muslim he tells the crowd and could prove to have many more possible Afghanistan in it with the current situation. “Isn’t it cheaper to make friends out of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later?” he said. That is the question he posed to America and its citizens.
In stressing that combating poverty will not resolve the issue alone Bono add, “…Poverty breeds despair. Despair breeds violence.”
Bringing the speech down to business, the rocker then said, “Let’s talk business, think of America as a brand,” he said. “I’m a fan [of the USA].”
Bono praised that in the past several years, President Bush has tripled AIDS relief. “But here’s the bad news,” he said. “6,500 Africans died today; we’re losing the battle.”
But not without understanding of the struggles America has faced in recent past, such as 9/11, the war on terrorism and the devastating hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “America has never been content to hang back, check its watch and wait for a convenient time to be great,” the rocker said.
“I’m not a hippie; I don’t have flowers in my hair,” Bono said. “I came from punk rock,” reiterating that he has not gone soft or fuzzy these days.
Bono showed his knowledge of the international situations at hand as he stated that poverty alone is not the issue. Other problems must be addressed as well. “We can’t make poverty history until we make corruption history,” he said.
He also urged people not to think of this as a burden, but an opportunity to help others.
Adding that he is a deeply convicted man, Bono addressed the audience in a more religious attitude next, talking about what he saw as God’s plan. He said that God is in everything and the crowd reacted with a delighted “amen”.
“America’s not just a country, it’s an idea,” said Bono. “We can transform the globe if we have the will” he further addressed to the audience.
Not switching gears, but aiming his speech towards current organizations whose goals are to abolish poverty, Bono said that the One Campaign has now reached one million members in the US alone.
“Where you live in the world, should not determine weather you live,” he then said. That is what the One Campaign is promoting.
Further adding to his appeal that politicians and people alike get involved in this emergency, Bono says that Texas has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state in the United States. And that provides an even more unique opportunity for people to get involved.
Product “Red” is a drug that many have said has the potential of eliminating AIDS, but it’s not getting out there to the people who need it most - like the suffering in developing countries such as much of Africa. “Paint it red, white and blue,” he said. “Just get it out there.”
Ending on a more somber note, Bono tells the story of Tom Lantos, Holocaust survivor. As he goes on in the story, he said that Lantos felt worst about people watching the innocent being loaded into the train. Because they did nothing to stop or help the people.
“… but this time [the genocide in Sudan] it’s like we’re watching people being loaded on the trains and we know exactly where they’re going,” he said. “People of Africa need not be condemned.”
About Bono
Outside of being the lead singer of the infamous rock band U2, just a few of Bono’s objectives in the past years have been: acted as spokesperson for the Jubilee 2000 Drop the Debt Movement and the One Campaign, and Co-founded DATA [Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa].
Bono was also named TIME Magazine Person of the Year in 2005 (along with Bill and Melinda Gates) for his dedicated work in Africa.
About the WAC
The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is a non-profit, non-partisan council was established to educate citizens on issues dealing with international affairs and foreign policy.
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