熱血流成河

作者：鉅亨網楊智超　 發表日期：20150112

1984年衣索比亞大饑荒造成當地近100萬人死亡，消息震撼國際，衣索比亞自此成為各個國際組織積極援助對象。30年過後的現在，衣索比亞經濟成長飛快，近10年來經濟成長率都接近雙位數，城市開始改頭換面。可惜，民主發展並未跟上經濟腳步，當地人民沒有言論自由，通訊媒體受到嚴密監控，反對政府者遭血腥鎮壓。對執政者來說，人民能溫飽就代表有人權，在一個有9000萬人口的非洲國家，要維持和平與經濟成長確實不容易。衣索比亞正循著中國的發展模式走，人民現階段想擁有民主自由的機會可說是微乎其微。

逐漸繁榮的社會

對於衣索比亞要如何在民主與經濟之間取捨，當地的百萬大亨 Mulugeta Tesfakiros認為，大部分人民首先需要的是安全，再來是食物，最後才是民主。

Tesfakiros是Muller房地產公司總裁，所經營的事業包含物流、運輸、食品生產，還有與曾幫助衣索比亞義賣募款的歌手Bob Geldof合資的釀酒公司，2013年該釀酒公司就創造了500萬美元的利潤。光是前年，衣索比亞就進口了1000萬公升的酒來滿足竄升中的中產階級。Tesfakiros表示，未來希望將衣索比亞打造成像加州或南非那樣的釀酒重鎮。

衣索比亞經濟發展迅速，在阿迪斯阿貝巴(Addis Ababa)的街上可聽見高樓大廈的施工聲於耳邊迴盪，也可看見輕軌等公設在積極建設中。根據一份研究顯示，衣索比亞是非洲培育百萬富翁速度最快的國家。當地政府表示，國家正朝著聯合國的千年發展目標(MDGs)前進中，預計在2025年將成為中等收入國家。

千年發展目標(MDGs)是2000年在聯合國千年首腦會議上提出的8項國際發展目標，並在聯合國千年宣言中正式做出的一項承諾，每個目標均有完成指標以及完成時間限制，這8項目標包含：消滅極端貧窮和飢餓、實現普及初等教育、促進兩性平等並賦予婦女權力、降低兒童死亡率、改善產婦保健與愛滋病、瘧疾以及其他疾病、對抗確保環境的可持續能力、全球合作促進發展。

Tesfakiros說：「在過去人們很難想像衣索比亞能發展成現在這樣，過去15年來國家經濟有驚人的成長，人民非常敬業並也開始投資，衣索比亞的房地產市場正開始興盛且將持續好一段時間。」。

極權統治下的民主悲歌

但在經濟起飛的衣索比亞卻看不到民主，距離首都阿迪斯阿貝巴1小時車程外的監獄裡，9名部落客和記者被以恐怖主義罪名定罪入獄，在家人見面日當天，其中1位囚犯敘述自己被關在擠滿100名犯人的20坪小房間裡，並被拷問虐待，他表示現在這國家已經不是他所認識的衣索比亞。對於這9名被關在牢房裡的記者和部落客來說，出獄機會非常渺茫，他們不認為自己會有被保釋出獄的一天，只能無奈接受此命運。

快速的都市擴張計畫也使農民的家園慘遭政府剝奪，勇於發聲反對者最終都被捕入獄。根據代表當地最大民族的奧羅莫聯邦黨(Oromo Federalist Congress)表示，政府逼迫15萬名農夫放棄家園且未給予任何補償。目擊者更指出，有至少17名反對示威者遭警察殺害，其中包含學生和小孩，更有超過100名以上示威者遭無故拘留。

社運人士和記者將現在的衣索比亞形容成「歐威爾式」的社會，在這裡電話通訊會被錄音記錄，電子郵件受到嚴密監控，上街反抗的示威者會慘遭武力鎮壓。國際特赦組織認為，這是政府為了明年大選而開始做的剷除異己行動，目前衣索比亞國會中只有一名議員隸屬於反對黨。

衣索比亞的監控系統相當精密先進，讓不少人認為一定有西方國家在背後支持。因為衣索比亞被美國視為該地區的守門員，當地還有一個美軍基地可用來派遣部隊來對抗伊斯蘭激進組織索馬利亞青年黨（al-Shabab）。

對於政府的集權做法Tesfakiros則相當讚賞，他感激政府為維持和平所做的努力，國家因而能吸引更多外國人如中國、印度和西方來投資。若國家進步意味著要犧牲自由，包含自己被監聽，那他也願意。他認為民主是由中產階級所支撐起，要落實民主的重點問題在於教育和文化，但國家目前有85%的人口為不識字的農夫，談何民主？

改變的聲音

相較於享受著房地產榮景而大賺的Tesfakiros，OFC秘書長 Bekele Nega並不將國家現狀視為進步，他認為政府聲稱自己在建設首都阿迪斯阿貝巴，但實際上卻是在剷除那些不支持執政黨衣索比亞人民革命民主陣線(EPRDF)的人。

Nega也不同意西方正面看待衣索比亞改變的看法，Nega說：「外國人看到我們的高樓大廈會以為我們在進步中，可實際上人民還是無法溫飽三餐。歌手Bob Geldof當年透過義賣單曲來援助我們，雖然有幫助但並沒有抓到問題核心。當時義賣募款到的錢更被EPRDF拿去建立現在的政權。」。

直到現在，衣索比亞仍是英國發展機構最大的援助收益者，每年可獲得3億歐元，其中也有美國的援助資金。Nega認為，美國正花錢援助獨裁者，間接促使政府能運用這些資金更有效的監控人民。

儘管經濟發展飛快，但衣索比亞現在已經背離西方自由民主的概念，Nega說：「不論喜歡與否，國家都正步上中國的發展模式。我們的統治者認為人民只要能溫飽就夠了，但窮人一樣需要民主，身為人類我們有權要求擁有民主人權。為了我們的後代，就算犧牲生命我們也要持續爭取民主自由，就算被關入大牢我們也會繼續發聲，希望讓世界有天能了解到衣索比亞的真實情況。」。(文：楊智超)

In 1984, Geldof responded to a BBC news report from Michael Buerk about thefamine in Ethiopia by mobilising the pop world to do something about the images he had seen.^[28] With Midge Ure of Ultravox he wrote "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in order to raise funds. The song was recorded by various artists under the name of Band Aid.

In its first week of release, the single became the UK's fastest-seller of all time, entering the chart at number one and going on to sell over 3 million copies, making it the biggest-selling single in UK history up to that point, a title it held for almost 13 years. The single was also a major US hit, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" returned to the UK chart a year later, reaching number three, and eventually it raised over £8 million. Following this, massive success preparations were started for the biggest rock concerts the world had ever seen, the following summer.

New versions of Do They Know It's Christmas were recorded in 1989 and 2004. In November 2014, Geldof announced that he would be forming a further incarnation of Band Aid, to be known as Band Aid 30, to record an updated version of thecharity single, with the proceeds going to treat victims of the Ebola virus in West Africa

Live Aid[edit]

As Geldof began to learn more about the situation, he discovered that one of the main reasons why African nations were in such dire peril was because of repayments on loans that their countries had taken from Western banks. For every pound donated in aid, ten times as much would have to leave the country in loan repayments. It became obvious that one song was not enough.

On 13 July 1985, Geldof and Ure organised Live Aid, a huge event staged simultaneously at the Wembley Stadium in London and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. Thanks to an unprecedented decision by the BBC to clear its schedules for 16 hours of rock music, the event was also broadcast live in the UK on television and radio.

It was one of the most monumental stage shows in history, with Phil Collins flying on Concorde so that he could play at both Wembley and Philadelphia on the same day.

During the broadcast of Live Aid, Geldof shocked viewers into giving cash by not only twice mouthing profanities but also by slamming his fist on the table and ordering them not to go out to the pub but to stay in and watch the show.

Nearly seven hours into the concert in London, Geldof gave an infamous interview in which he used the word fuck. The BBC presenter David Hepworth, conducting the interview, had attempted to provide a list of addresses to which potential donations should be sent; Geldof interrupted him in mid-flow and shouted: "Fuck the address, let's get the [phone] numbers!" It has passed into folklore^[30] that he yelled at the audience, "Give us your fucking money!" although Geldof has stated that this phrase was never uttered.^[31] Due to his Irish accent, the profanity was stated to be misheard as "fock" and "focking" respectively. After the outburst, giving increased to £300 per second.

The harrowing video of dying, skeletal children that had been made by photo-journalists setting their films to the tune of "Drive" by the Cars, contributed to the concert's success.

In total, Live Aid raised over £150 million for famine relief. Geldof was subsequently knighted, at age 34, for his efforts. His autobiography, written soon after with Paul Vallely, was entitled Is That It?.^[32] This book achieved further fame for being featured on the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination syllabus in a following year.

Much of the money raised by Live Aid went to NGOs in Ethiopia, some of which were under the influence or control of theDerg military junta. Some journalists have suggested that the Derg was able to use Live Aid and Oxfam money to fund its enforced resettlement and "villagification" programmes, under which at least 3 million people are said to have been displaced and between 50,000 and 100,000 killed.^[33] However in November 2010 the BBC formally apologised to Geldof for misleading implications in its stories on the subject of Band Aid, saying it had 'no evidence' that Band Aid money specifically went to buy weapons.^[34]

Commission for Africa[edit]

In January 2004, on a visit to friends in Africa, Geldof came to believe that more people were at risk of starvation there than had died in the famine of 1984/85 which had prompted Live Aid. He rang the British Prime Minister Tony Blair from Addis Ababa. According to the Live 8 programme notes by Geldof's biographer and friend, Paul Vallely, the Prime Minister responded: "Calm down Bob. ... And come and see me as soon as you get back.^[35] "

The result was the Commission for Africa. Blair invited Geldof and 16 other Commissioners, the majority from Africa and many of them politicians in power, to undertake a year-long study of Africa's problems. They came up with two conclusions: that Africa needed to change, to improve its governance and combat corruption, and that the rich world needed to support that change in new ways. That meant doubling aid, delivering debt cancellation, and reforming trade rules. The Commission drew up a detailed plan of how that could be done. It reported in March 2005. To force the issue Geldof decided to create a new international lobby for Africa with eight simultaneous concerts around the world to put pressure on the G8. He called itLive 8. The Commission's recommendations later became the blueprint for the G8 Gleneagles African debt and aid package.