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Do Celebrities Speak for the Poor?
In The Guardian on Saturday 25th August, the following article argued that celebrities "can be one of the best methods of giving the poor a voice." http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,2156046,00.html
African Initiatives' response is as follows.
Charities are increasingly using celebrities to raise funds, profile and issues, especially in the international development sector. Now they are being used to “give the poor a voice”. This can be naïve, presumptuous to the point of arrogance, and further undermines the voices of already disenfranchised people.
It is patronising to believe that poor people are somehow unable or not intelligent enough to speak for themselves. Oxfam’s Claire Lewis, an “international artist liaison manager”, argued in The Guardian that celebrities are one of the best methods to give the poor a voice yet part of being powerless is that people are always speaking on your behalf – governments, charities, religious institutions and now celebrities. “Millionaires against poverty” are unaccountable, often representing the contradictions between poverty and its major causes of over consumption, economic inequality and climate change.
Some celebrities may be well meaning, although many rightly have their motives questioned. In fact to criticise celebrities is irrelevant, it is the way they are used that needs to be challenged. While raising awareness and funds in the UK has benefits, acting as patrons of the poor is disempowering.
In Ghana communities’ livelihoods, rights and culture are being destroyed. Farmers are unable to sell their produce causing increased poverty, indebtedness and even suicide. The primary cause is the forced dumping of heavily subsidised EU and US agricultural products while the Ghanaian Government has been unable to support and invest in its own people, industries or economic development. These policies, being played out all over Africa, are unpopular, undemocratic and anti-poor but are enforced by an onslaught of economic and political bullying (known as conditionalities) from the EU, WTO, IMF, World Bank, and the US and UK governments.
Over the last few years major celebrities such as Chris Martin and Ronan Keating have been shown around Ghana by the big UK charities where they met farmers and been introduced to these issues. However there is no evidence that this has improved the situation for farmers; in reality it has got worse.
A cynic might think that the celebrity was there to enhance the marketing profile of the big international charity, or maybe even themselves? Motivation sometimes seems to be the competition between different charities in the UK. Using celebrity to campaign against poverty does help with the marketing strategies and fundraising needs of the large NGOs.
Back to Ghana where there has been some positive change; water privatisation (a disastrous policy pushed by the UK government) is being resisted. Ghanaian citizens are organising themselves, educating fellow citizens and making their collective voice heard – and not a celebrity in sight. This is critically important. Change will come when communities affected by poverty and environmental exploitation have their own voice. Martin Luther King was clear, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
However the reasons charities use celebrities is not consistent with those who believe that poverty is about lack of power. Contrary to what Oxfam and others may believe, celebrities are not able to open doors of the IMF, EU, World Bank and WTO. And nor should they. Is it right that those with privilege, profile and varying talent should access the levers of power? Meanwhile African countries are denied transparent and equitable relationships with these powerful international financial institutions who are the primary cause of environmentally and socially iniquitous, undemocratic and unjust policies.
The critical relationship in reducing poverty and injustice is one of accountability between citizens and their governments, especially in Africa. Throughout the continent there are hundreds of effective and transparent organisations of citizens, farmers, workers and women with their own vision of social justice working to do just this. They are, almost literally, dying to have a few resources – a small proportion of the money charities spend on managing their celebrities.
Many African organisations are bemused and frustrated at having to host celebrities and are critical of Western charities’ need to claim to represent the poor. Instead we should invest in the vision and capacity of accountable and legitimate organisations to educate citizens by providing the skills and knowledge to understand and analyse the causes of their poverty. And above all we should support every opportunity for people to speak for themselves and participate in the decisions that affect them at community, national and international level.