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Index - Posting 8 June 05 Vol:1-8

"…those who oppress the poor show contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God..."

Proverbs 14:31 (NIV inclusified)

 I left England in 1982 just as the war broke out between Britain and Argentina, over the Malvinas/Falkland Islands. As I flew over the Atlantic, I played Bob Marley’s "Coming In From The Cold" on my CD player and thought Jamaica was the best place to await potential fallout. As a consequence, I did not know of, and therefore missed the event that "changed the World"– the Live Aid concert in 1985. But I was aware of how the lending policies of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank affected island economies through my professional involvement in social sector development; children’s services, youth and community development, maternal and child health and income generating activities for women. And no, I did not buy Live Aid’s re-released Christmas single "Do they know its Christmas Time" as my choice of music only includes reggae, soca, hip hop, R n B, soul, bhangra, jazz, classical, garage, house and dance music.

In all aspects of our daily lives, we make choices. We decide where and when to make ethical judgments and where and when to verbalise ethical statements. How we demonstrate our convictions depends on how we select the issues that provoke us to action. Some are galvanised by the perverse invasiveness of brand marketing and the constant deification of individualistic values and personal consumption, at the expense of others - families, tribes, communities and countries. Whether one decides to buy ethically sourced cotton jeans, shoes made without the use of animal products, lagers/beers from the Caribbean or Latin American countries or fair trade bananas from Dominica, we decide where to make a stand, that preserves our integrity and maintains a clear conscience. The level of our stance indicates the depth of our feeling for justice.

Since the announcement of the Live 8 Concerts in Berlin, London, Paris, Philadelphia and Rome, there have been pages of commentary in the national daily newspapers, on the ethics of "another show". Opinions have been sharply divided. Individuals have criticised what they perceive as "Africa’s dysfunctional political culture" that perpetuates its "appalling leadership" and therefore the unending need for foreign aid. The "lack of African superstars" in the line-ups for the five concerts, have been interpreted as an excuse for the exclusion of most African musicians and singers and a mark of great disrespect. The naming of only one African for the Paris concert has been described as "deeply smug, staggeringly patronising tokenism." Further, a scathing observation that the UK line up is being fronted, by an individual "noted for his outrageous extravagances, a model of grotesque consumption" adds to the growing discontent.

Several political commentators are equally dismissive of the benefits of the concerts and the value of demonstrations at the G8 Summit in Edinburgh, planned for July. Others concentrate on wider issues on how western lifestyles are fuelled by the constant looting and exploitation of natural resources from Africa to provide components for mobile phones, computers, motor vehicles, jewellery, to name just a few bulwarks of the "civilised world". Similarly of how governments tie aid to the privatisation of basic public services that are then run by foreign companies who make excessive profits from the local populations, with revenues deposited in overseas banks. And how large Western corporations connive to increase the indebtedness of some African countries to secure future access to cheap oil, liquid gas and diamonds, through corruption, kickbacks and bribes. Even Britain’s national poverty reduction campaign recently launched, has not escaped criticism. Whilst it is campaigning under the triple banner of "Trade Justice, Drop the Debt, More and Better Aid" it has been described as "reek[ing] of middle-class Europeans trying to feel good about themselves by prescribing very radical but practically dubious solutions to Africa’s problem".

Whether one agrees with the General Secretary of the Pan African Movement, that "opportunistic dynamics" underpin the decision to mount Live 8, his observation that "anti-poverty campaigns essentially use Africans as colourful canvasses to legitimise the narratives. They are wheeled on and off as the propaganda demands"– is worthy of serious thought. But perhaps more importantly, his perceptive statement that "[e]ven good things can be done in the wrong way" contains the lesson for today.

Christ tells us not to judge others, as we will be judged. But this does not mean "sitting on the fence" - life is full of contradictions, within society and within ourselves. Perhaps our goal is to work towards consistency. To acquire maturity as we travel through life, to be able to reconcile the opposing views within ourselves; to move towards wholeness. Our outlook on life will depend on where we are coming from and where we wish to go. Our society will reflect how we manage to achieve this. If we acknowledge our differences, then perhaps we can understand and accept different viewpoints without offence.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good lives, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness." - James 3:13-18 (NIV Inclusified)

Go forward, with understanding and be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God.

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