Op-Ed: Live Aid, The End Result

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Organized by Sir Bob Geldof (Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure (Ultravox), the purpose was to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia.

They held concerts, simultaneously in London (72,000 fans at Wembley Stadium), Philadelphia (90,000 fans at JFK Stadium), Sydney and Moscow. The event was so huge it drew 1.5 BILLION viewers on television in over 100 countries. All of this was broadcast live. It's coming upon the 21st Anniversary of this historic event and the big question is..........WHERE DID THE MONEY GO?

According to published reports, between Band Aid's cassette single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", the Live Aid concert, the BBC Documentary, other news stories regarding the plight and aid sent in by foreign governments, over $1 billion was generated for the cause.

(Live Aid then, and now)

In the 1980's, Ethiopia had a dictator named Col. Haile Mariam Mengistu. Using the plight of his people and a media blackout, as political weapons, he achieved his goals of re-locating and diminishing the population of "rebel" controlled areas by forcing hundreds of thousands of villagers from the Northern areas of Ethiopia to flee southward. During the promotion and broadcast of Live Aid, there was no mention of this dictator or the regime in power. The famine was presented as meteorological in nature and blamed on weather patterns and basic lack of water and infrastructure.

(hrw.org)

After the concerts occurred and awareness was generated, thousands of international workers, journalists and humanitarian workers poured into the country. Seizing this opportunity, Col. Mengistu positioned his regime in a sympathy-driven manner. The side note to this story is that Mengistu required all relief workers to convert their currency into the local Ethiopian Birr. This decision worked into his regime's favor because the conversion rate created further wealth for his corruption. By exponentially increasing their foreign currency reserves, Col. Mengistu was able to purchase arms and ammunition to help him in his pursuits of displacement. Because of his tactics, the internal war dragged onward for an additional 6 years. Utilizing his tools of famine, starvation and murder, his regime was responsible for killing over 100,000 Ethiopians.....his own people.

When you donate money to a cause you deem worthy, think about the infrastructure and dig a little bit to see what they truly do. The internet is the most powerful research tool we've had to date and it's remarkable what you are able to discover online. Definitely donate if you have the inclination, just do your educated research before making those decisions.