On This Day in History: July 13

Live Aid

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It seems Rami Malek was born to play Queen singer Freddie Mercury, and despite the lack of historical accuracy in Bohemian Rhapsody, I loved it. When it comes to ascertaining the film’s veracity, however, you’re likely to miss one important reality. It’s to do with the Live Aid concert for famine relief in Ethiopia. It probably did more harm than good. 

--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: July 13, 1985--

Road to Hell, good intentions, something something.

On July 13, 1985, Live Aid was held simultaneously in London before a crowd of 72,000, and in Philadelphia for 89,000. The main organizer was Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats, who also performed along with acts such as U2, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Sting, Elton John, The Who, and the aforementioned Queen. Charles and Diana attended. The U.S. show included Madonna, Tom Petty, Black Sabbath, the Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran, and what was left of Led Zeppelin. Almost two billion watched the show on TV.

Those impressive lineups, noticeably lacking in African performers because white savior complex, raised a couple hundred million dollars for famine relief in Ethiopia. Geldof bathed in adulation over his magnificent humanitarian accomplishment. Except no, it was more of a clusterfuck.

The Ethiopian famine wasn’t a natural disaster so much as a genocide. Before the concert the legit aid organization Doctors Without Borders warned Geldof about Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam, who had caused the fucking famine in the first place. Mengistu was involved in a civil war and used hunger as a weapon to starve the insurgents into submission. But Geldof refused to listen, allying himself to a ruthless dictator by providing funds for his ongoing butchery. Mengistu had been deadlocked in the war, but the influx of cash allowed him to continue his brutal reign and finance his resettlement campaign that killed about 100,000 people and displaced many more. And although the claims remain controversial, it is near certain a significant portion of the donations were diverted to buy arms to supply both sides in the civil war.

The money raised from Live Aid probably killed as many as it saved. Mengistu used the aid to add to the problem in Ethiopia rather than be part of the solution. Geldof remains hypersensitive to any criticism, refusing to admit that the consequences of Live Aid were anything less than exemplary.

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