This is not an article about what I did, we all know what we did and it just leaves me with the question of what did we really do? This is about what I saw on a day we shall all soon forget, 2nd July 2005.

The news that morning on BBC1 had an interview between a white presenter and a black guy from the continent of Africa and I apologise about this but I have to paraphrase as this is being done from memory.

White presenter – Are people in Africa (the continent) aware of the concerts and marches happening today for them?

Black rep. of Africa – No not really but they are all aware of the events of the G8 and are following it with great interest.

A little further in to the interview.

White presenter – Are the people of Africa (the continent) grateful for all the charity they have received in the past from the west?

Black rep. of Africa – No, not really.

White presenter – Really? Don’t you want to take that back?

Black rep. of Africa – No I don’t. Charity is all well and good but Africa is a very rich continent the west would do better help to help bring about regime change in many African countries, rather than supporting many of the questionable governments that are presently in power.

At the end of the interview.

White presenter – What do you think will be the result of all the events taking place today?

Black rep. of Africa – I don’t know, I don’t know what the intentions are.

White presenter – Well it is to inform all those in the west of the poverty that exists in Africa (the continent).

Black rep. of Africa – I already thought everyone was aware of the poverty in Africa.

Just in case you are unsure of my point I will ask you a question, what or who are you better than?

The day was beautiful encouraging many to attend and the restaurants were going to make a killing. Things all began in the Meadows where there were people representing all walks of life, from the very young to the very old. Also in the meadows there were stalls, tents and people offering material representing the whole spectrum of fringe politics, from the Lib. Dems. To Anarchists. At one end of the field was a stage which had representatives from the screen and music industry dragged across it screaming platitudes for reasons I’m not even sure they were completely aware of. Along side them we were presented with representatives from every sphere of politics and the news, we were witness to what can only be called a spectacle. All around was all the media we could muster hoping that something will happen during the day to disrupt the event and to be witness to it with their cameras glued to their eye. Trust me I know how these people think, part of me thinks the same way. Who wants to represent when you can get drama. Sadly they’re 10 years out of luck for that.

When you leave the stage you go towards the beginning of the march and over a loud speaker can be heard, THE VOICE. ‘Thank you for attending.’ ‘Apologies for any delays, the march will get going soon.’ ‘Please be patient and do not push through. On the march there was a police presence but it was amiable enough, the street were blockaded tightly so as to impose the order of the day and to be honest it was a nice, pleasant walk for the day through what is a very beautiful city. Most of the businesses in the centre of town were open and were so confident in fact they did not even board up.

At the end of the march we returned to the meadows where we listened to the speeches and clapped and cheered as we were told how much we were doing. Back at the beginning of the march people were still queuing to begin like it was some fairground ride. There came a moment on the stage were the guy talking told us we should all stand for a minutes silence with the clock counting it down on the big screen. When it had finished he proceeded to tell now it was not our fault if nothing was done to stop the poverty in Africa (the continent) but rather the fault of those attending the G8. Basically he told us to continue to disillusion ourselves, at that point there were dead union workers turning in their graves.

That evening I was back at a friends in Edinburgh and there was the broadcast of the live concert in London where some of the greatest acts of the last 50 years had come to perform for a huge audience to stop poverty in Africa.

I believe we have been moving quickly towards catastrophe for a few thousand years now something we have sped up rapidly in the last couple of hundred years and if this is the best we can do to halt its progress… Well what do you think?

If you want to contact me on this article email me at  joseph_de_haan@hotmail.com. I also have a website which contains some of the work I have done in an attempt to become an humanitarian journalist. www.whakapai.com