IASH/History Documentary Series 2018
Wednesday 23rd May, 4pm
Give Us the Money (2012, 58 mins)
Written & Directed by: Bosse Lindquist
Can glitz and celebrity save the world? In 1985, more than thirty years ago, rock stars Bob Geldof and Bono started the Live Aid campaign, and set out on a journey to fight poverty in Africa. They tried to convince some of the mightiest politicians and wealthiest people on earth to change the world, alongside generous celebrities and an affluent Western general public. This documentary tracks the campaign’s journey through famines, palaces, and world-wide TV audiences, and although it presents us with the vision of a world, whose problems can all be solved with great quantities of money, it also questions the very basis of this notion.
Bosse Lindquist's film tracks the history of this project, as well as the idea behind it. It shows the journey of a campaign with a lot of promise, but very little tangible result. A band of musicians set out to change the world" Lindquist says "and now the time has come to ask: What did they achieve, and is celebrity politics the right way of combating world poverty?"
After the screening we will continue this discussion with a panel of academics, including Dr Karin Sellberg (HPI), Dr Daniel Midena (IASH) and Associate Professor Mattias Tydén (Stockholm University) - and ther ewill be plenty of opportunity for Q&A with the audience.
Location: Seminar Room 402, Level 4 Forgan Smith Tower, UQ