It isn’t enough for Irish rockers Bono and Bob Geldof to be in the news. Now they want to edit it too.
U2 frontman and fellow musician Geldof were guest editors at Japan’s
second-largest newspaper, the Asahi, on Friday to help organize a special edition on anti-poverty activists’ favourite subject: Africa. The eight-page section on African society, economy and politics will be
published in the Saturday edition, which has a circulation of eight million.
“Lots of people in this building are closet rock stars — they stand up in the mirror and play air guitar,” Bono said. “Well, myself and Bob, we’re closet journalists.”
Bono and Geldof dove into the late afternoon editorial meeting in downtown Tokyo, suggesting layouts, counselling graphic artists and picking photos.
At one point, the pair — in Japan to attend a conference on aid to Africa — sat down with editors and made their case that Japan should significantly boost its aid and investment to the continent.
“You’re more moral in your relationships,” said Bono of Japan. To emphasize that point, he and Geldof brought a design featuring the red circle of Japan’s rising sun flag with the white outline of a heart inside it.
The two also said they used the opportunity to urge journalists to be more forward-looking in their reportage on Africa, focusing on the expansion of technology and education on the continent rather than slums and despair.
“Really we’re trying to reframe the stories about Africa, most of which
historically are tragic,” Bono said. “We would like to turn this around a bit
and make the stories about opportunity and the adventure of the African
continent, not the burden and the obligation.”
Bono in Japan photogallery
News Source: The Calgary Sun
