Comments on: Bono: ‘The semi-official position of Cheeky Representative of A Lot of People in Africa.’ http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/06/bono_the_semi-official_position_of_cheeky_representative_of_a_lot_of_people_in_africa.html black looks Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:31:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Changeseeker http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/06/bono_the_semi-official_position_of_cheeky_representative_of_a_lot_of_people_in_africa.html#comment-52911 Changeseeker Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:43:26 +0000 http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/06/bono_the_semi-official_position_of_cheeky_representative_of_a_lot_of_people_in_africa.html#comment-52911 <i>"The agency of many Africans is suppressed because people like Bono decide to marginalize these voices. Instead of challenging the power dynamic that relegates the voices of Africans to the periphery, he jumps right into the power mix and reifies this relationship and then pronounces that Africans have no voice as if he is disconnected from this reality."</i> Precisely! And he wouldn't understand this, even if he read this post (and Sokari's earlier one). The romanticization of Africa and the White supremacist perspective that Africans (and those in the diaspora) <i>need</i> to be taken care of are the same two-pronged approaches that have been SO long in place. Of <b><i>course</b></i>, the G-8 leaders are going to welcome Bono as "spokesperson for Africa" with open arms! Otherwise, they might, in fact, have to speak with Africans -- a MUCH different dialogue, I dare say. But sitting down with Bono allows them to <i>pretend</i> they care, without actually having to face reality or lose their sense of superiority. “The agency of many Africans is suppressed because people like Bono decide to marginalize these voices. Instead of challenging the power dynamic that relegates the voices of Africans to the periphery, he jumps right into the power mix and reifies this relationship and then pronounces that Africans have no voice as if he is disconnected from this reality.”

Precisely! And he wouldn’t understand this, even if he read this post (and Sokari’s earlier one). The romanticization of Africa and the White supremacist perspective that Africans (and those in the diaspora) need to be taken care of are the same two-pronged approaches that have been SO long in place. Of course, the G-8 leaders are going to welcome Bono as “spokesperson for Africa” with open arms! Otherwise, they might, in fact, have to speak with Africans — a MUCH different dialogue, I dare say. But sitting down with Bono allows them to pretend they care, without actually having to face reality or lose their sense of superiority.

]]> By: lova http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/06/bono_the_semi-official_position_of_cheeky_representative_of_a_lot_of_people_in_africa.html#comment-52794 lova Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:36:14 +0000 http://www.blacklooks.org/2007/06/bono_the_semi-official_position_of_cheeky_representative_of_a_lot_of_people_in_africa.html#comment-52794 Thank you for this great follow-up article: " I think such an appellation is too easy, hastily obscures some realities and segregates Bono’s actions from the larger picture." This sentence is key to me. The critiques of Bono's approach are spot-on. Now, what if Bono is removed from the picture ? Would the gains outweigh the loss ? I believe that despite all his grandiose posturing and egocentric self-perception, Bono should be recognized as a connector (As Gladwell's defines it in the Tipping point). It is when he tries to be a maven that he lost his way. Thank you for this great follow-up article:
” I think such an appellation is too easy, hastily obscures some realities and segregates Bono’s actions from the larger picture.”
This sentence is key to me. The critiques of Bono’s approach are spot-on.
Now, what if Bono is removed from the picture ? Would the gains outweigh the loss ?
I believe that despite all his grandiose posturing and egocentric self-perception, Bono should be recognized as a connector (As Gladwell’s defines it in the Tipping point). It is when he tries to be a maven that he lost his way.

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