Bono lauds Germany's poverty plan
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BERLIN - Bono's got some kind words for Germany.
"This new Germany" is not shy about showing the world what values are worth fighting for, the activist and U2 co-founder said Tuesday. Bono made the remarks after meeting with lawmakers to tell them about efforts to fight poverty and stem the spread of malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis in the developing world.
Speaking to lawmakers, Bono said his visit was aimed at letting them know that using money to fight poverty was helping.
"They should know that their cooperation has had some success," he said, adding that efforts by Debt AIDS Trade Africa and others were producing real results in Africa and elsewhere.
"The good news, help works," Bono said, referring to a 2007 aid package that he said could save up to four million lives in the coming three years. The rock star also praised a debt relief law passed by the government of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, which Bono said let another 29 million children in Africa attend school.
Bono encouraged German lawmakers to continue working toward halving global poverty by 2015 as part of the UN's Millennium Goals program.
"That's why I'm a fan of Germany and why I want to come back," he said.
jam.canoe
I am fascinated by commerce
Interview with Bono, March 17, 2008
Musician and Africa activist Bono talks about poverty, business and consumerism – and about his plans with Adidas.
Q: Bono, for about two years you’ve been trying to get Germany to increase its aid for Africa. What progress has been made in these two years?
A: I wouldn’t say I have made any progress – but WE have. There is a broad coalition of the willing here: from Herbert Groenemeyer (German singer) to Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (German secretary for development). It’s an unusual mixture of people. If we have achieved something, and I know we have, then I’d say the views of German people are on top of my list. 71 percent of the people here are supporting the Millennium Goals. In most other countries people don’t even know what the Millennium Goals are. 83 percent of Germans think that the fight against extreme poverty is important or even very important. This is just incredible. So don’t stop, continue!
Q: Isn’t this trend over already?
A: You cannot stop this. There is something going on in Germany. As an outsider who visits this country sometimes, I see that there is something going on among the people of Germany that is new and fresh. The thing with the (Football/Soccer) World Championship has become a cliché, but it is exactly about this spirit. The shyness about wanting to claim a certain place in this world is ridiculous, this is over. Germany wants to show the rest of the world what this country is about. The way they are dealing with development aid tells a lot about their intellectual values, as well as about their strategic and commercial ideas. I would be very surprised if the German people would allow their government to break their promises.
Q: But Germany hasn’t really provided the amounts of money you’re asking for.
A: In Heiligendamm (G8 summit 2007) we were disappointed, because we couldn’t get Chancellor Merkel and Secretary of Finance Steinbrueck to make any clear decisions about the way they would go until 2010. According to the Millenium Goals, 0.51 percent of the national income should be spent on development aid. Merkel wasn’t ready to make any clear statement, but she promised to work very hard on these numbers. Her contribution at the conference of the Global Fund against Aids, Maleria and TB was significant: The increase of Germany’s contribution to development aid of 750 Million Euro for the year 2008 has led the other leaders to give ten billion Dollars altogether. This is a very remarkable result of German leadership. But: Am I nervous about where this is going? Of course I’m nervous – I wouldn’t be here otherwise. I have a band in a recording studio, waiting for their singer. This is not a joke. I’m not ready yet to pull the emergency brake on Germany. We have pulled the emergency brake on France, on Israel, also Canada …
Q: What does that mean: Pulling the emergency brake?
A: That we’d call the situation an emergency. In an interview I’d call on the people to go to the streets. Get out your banners, meet your politicians and hit them where it hurts: in their election districts. If they break their promises to the poorest, most vulnerable people in the world, we won’t vote for them. In France I talked about a credibility crisis of the political leadership.
Q: What has to happen for you to pull the emergency brake in Germany?
A: We will take a very close look at the numbers. I have just been to Africa and I would be very disappointed if there would be less development aid for Africa. I would also be disappointed, if the amount of money stayed the same. We need an increase. We need a curve that will result in 0.51 percent in 2010. I have talked to all the politicians and I hope and think that they won’t disappoint me.
Q: Do you feel that you aren’t as welcome now as you were before Heiligendamm?
A: I have always received a friendly reception. Most people in the SPD (German Social Democratic Party) and most of all Gerhard Schroeder (former German Chancellor) acknowledge that I have helped them – by torturing them! – to make a decision that turned out to be one of the most important in Schroeder’s political career. 29 Million African children can go to school now because of debt relief that was decided 1999 in Cologne. 29! Million! Children! There has to be African leadership – but it can only happen if resources are made available by debt relief.
Q: Last year your organization DATA called Angela Merkel the most important person on this planet. Has she lived up to your expectations?
A: Our criticism concerning the final document of the G8 summit in Heiligendamm was never an attack on Chancellor Merkel. I was disappointed, that the leaders hadn’t been able to agree on a clear plan for development aid. But I wasn’t disappointed about Germany’s role. In fact, I was overwhelmed by it. To be honest, my expectations were very low prior to 2007. I was surprised they even took my calls, that Merkel wanted to meet me. I think she realized that there was a crisis of credibility in Europe and that Europe, under German leadership, had to do something for their neighbor – Africa. Europe is a thought that has to become a feeling. Europe is a concept, all right. But do people really feel it? I think, after our conversations Merkel began to realize that these issues can help to make a feeling out of that thought.
Q: What about Secretary of Finance Steinbrueck? Do you have any promise from him that the goals for 2010 will be fulfilled?
A: I went directly to him and told him my number for 2009 – 750 Million more for development aid – and he asked me if I was talking about pesos.
Q: So the answer is no.
A: No, the answer isn’t no. I think he’s a very good man and he won’t disappoint us. I haven’t received the check yet but I’ll be back.
A: Wouldn’t you achieve more if you convinced companies to invest in Africa?
Q: Trade is more important than aid. Our African friends hate aid because they need it. If Africa would have one percent more of the global trade it would be twice as much as the amount of today’s aid. I know everything about it, I have studied it. My wife cooperates with African businesses for her fashion label Edun and I cooperate with different companies for my (Red) campaign: Apple, Armani, Dell, Motorola are on board. I would like to win Adidas now as a (Red) partner. This would be something I like. We are in a very early phase right now, but I like the idea. Usually, when we talk about Africa, it’s about losing. I want the (Red) campaign and the fight against AIDS to be associated with winning.
Q: Do you consider the involvement of other German labels as well? Mercedes, BMW?
A: There is a new way of thinking about consumerism. It’s a conscious way of consuming, people are making conscious decisions – they know about the power of their wallets. People can ruin a company if they decide to buy their gasoline at a different gas station. If they have the choice between two similar products, like Mercedes and BMW, they will choose the product that they believe will make the world a better place. I bet they will.
Q: Really?
A: Former US Secretary of Finance, Rubin, once said to me: ‘If you are serious about all of this, you have to do two things: You must tell the people how big the problem is and you must tell them that it can be solved. And then you must spend 50 Million Dollars to bring this message across. You have to do it like Adidas or Nike.’ And I said: ‘Man, where do we get 50 Million Dollars?’ He shrugged his shoulders. But this is exactly what (Red) is doing: We let the marketing budget of big companies carry us. As musicians, artists or film makers, we are often arrogant towards business people. We say there is no creativity in commerce – but we are wrong.
Q: What’s the role of your own Private Equity Fund Elevations Partners in all of this? Is it also about Africa?
A: Not really. It’s a strange journey for me. Being an activist made me interested in commerce. You’re really scratching your head here. What does this guy think he’s doing? The more profound answer to this question is: Economy plays a more important role to help people out of poverty than all the world’s activists together. Activists help with preparations, like for fairer trade laws. I was booed at in Tanzania because people thought I was anti-business. And back home I was booed because I was pro-business. I am interested in commerce now, in the concepts behind it. This is relatively new to me. In U2, we have always been quite good with it, but now business has become something that I’m really interested in. I met some eccentric, but brilliant people from Northern California who are investing in technology. They asked me to work with them and I said no about ten times. But then I thought it might be interesting after all. There is a connection to my life in music business because Elevation Partners has its place at the interface between technology and media.
Q: But it’s about business after all?
A: Yes.
Interview by Moritz Doebler. tagesspiegel
All in a day's work Bono's words ring true
By Anne-Marie Walsh
Wednesday March 12 2008
IT IS incredible what Bono can fit into a day, let alone a lifetime.
The U2 frontman amazed his fans yesterday when he phoned a 2FM radio show to defend his legendary voice during the school run.
Just hours later, he was appearing in photos ringing a bell with a bunch of German politicians in Berlin.
Bono's busy day began when he took the unusual step of ringing an early morning radio show while dropping his daughter to school.
Fans nearly choked on their breakfast when his unmistakable tones rang out over the airwaves.
The inexhaustible star took umbrage when he heard a report read out that claimed he was no longer up to singing his hit duet with Clannad singer Moya Brennan. Bono and the Donegal trad singer had a big hit with the haunting song 'In a Lifetime' in 1986.
The breakfast show crew had been pointing out that Moya's uncle Noel Duggan had said that Bono did not feel he had the voice for the duet anymore.
Bono laughed off the report when he phoned hosts Colm and Jim-Jim and insisted he could still hit the high notes.
"This is inter-band rivalry from those Donegal messers. They've always been putting it up and I'd say it's the uncles, or it could be the brothers Paul or Ciaran. We'll see but there could be trouble," he said.
Listeners initially thought it was a spoof until the singer burst into a jingle for the radio presenters.
Not one to get stuck in a moment for too long, Bono then jetted to Germany to give its politicians an earful.
During a speech to a parliamentary council meeting of the Social Democrats, he said Germany had not been shy about showing the world what values are worth fighting for.
Bono, seen above ringing the bell next to Peter Struck, parliamentary floor leader of the Social Democrats, to start the party's meeting said his visit to Berlin aimed to let them know that using money to fight poverty was helping.
"The good news, help works," Bono said, referring to a 2007 aid package he said could save up to four million lives in the coming three years.
The rock star also praised a debt relief law passed by the government of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, which Bono said let another 29 million children in Africa attend school.
A spokesperson for U2 confirmed last night that Bono had picked up the phone to 2FM in Dublin yesterday, but was not aware of his more distant, later, appointment.
- Anne-Marie Walsh
independent
Bono also phoned into a German radiostation for an interview while he was in Berlin, you can listen to it here:
dradio
Unfortunatly, it's difficult to hear and understand him because of the translator's voice. He's basically talking about the same stuff as in all the other interviews he did around that time, about Germany's role in fighting poverty and how important the pressure of civil society is.
In the end they ask him how he responds to the critisicm of people who say stars like him or Geldof only use their commitment to gain more popularity.
Bono says she should ask his band this question and they would laugh out loud because they aren't exactly happy about what he is doing and have been anxious from the beginning that Bono's political work would keep people from coming to the U2 concerts or buying their album.
He says his band wishes he'd stop meeting with uncool politicians.
Photos: U2valencia * interference * isifa * gettyimages * rexfeatures * U2miracle * welt.de
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