Who is Paul David Hewson?

How is it that an Irish rocker can influence presidents and popes, the rich, the powerful and the ordinary in such a profound way? Why is this man so very different from his contemporaries in music and entertainment? What has motivated this man to take a stand on one of the worst crises to hit the world in a thousand years?

It is not often that a very successful artist and musician takes the time and effort to work zealously for a cause, and it is particularly fascinating that the cause is Africa in general and, in particular, efforts to assist AIDS patients. The image of most rockers and superstars is that they are selfish, preoccupied with their lives, their careers, their marriages (assuming that they last more than 2 months) and their children. Superstars reek of hedonism and materialism. So what makes this man, Bono, so different? Why is he almost obsessed with the problems in Africa, and why has he given huge sums, his talent and time for this cause?

If nothing else, we need more people like him; but at the very least, we should know more about him and what makes him respond with such righteous indignation to the misery and suffering in Africa.

What made him?

Of course, Bono is not really Bono, nor is he Bono Vox (his full nickname), but rather Paul David Hewson, born in Dublin into a mixed family (in this case, not racial, but religious-one parent was Catholic and the other Protestant). The young man was greatly influenced (as was some of his early music) by the premature death of his mother when he was 14 years old. It was in high school that the basis of his band, U2, was formed-but not until after the name went through a number of iterations, including Feedback and Hype.

The boys-Bono, The Edge (David Evans), Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen-became an overnight success when they signed with Island Records in 1980 and released their first two albums, Boy and October. Their first change of direction, one that is decidedly more political, came when War, with its overtones of the Irish political troubles, was released.

Nothing about Bono makes any sense without trying to understand U2 and its music, which is so popular that since its inception in 1976, the band has sold some 50 million albums-probably a great deal more if all markets and versions are included in the figures.

“Bono was not a supporter of Irish nationalism, especially the extreme Provisional IRA; rather, the music was a call to get rid of sectarian violence and unite as the nation of the Irish, whether Catholic or Protestant.”

Increasingly, U2 and Bono began to participate in more and more aid concerts, beginning with Band Aid in 1984 and Live Aid for Ethiopia in 1985. This show was seen by billions of people live through satellite feeds and was a major instigator of Bono’s awareness of the needs of the people of Africa.

U2 has continued to participate in great public works of charity through a series of live concerts, as well as maintaining a superb musical career that is both creative and well respected. They are only one of four bands ever featured on Time magazine, and Rolling Stone has continued to declare U2 to be one of the greatest bands in the history of rock and roll.

But it is not specifically for his music that Bono is one of the great modern heroes. Rather, it is for his humanitarian aid and his attempts to awaken the world’s consciousness about poverty and sickness in Africa specifically. His popularity as a musician and his total commitment to aid to Africa brought about a meeting with President Bush and a tour of Africa with then Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill— though he was not in a position to influence policy.

In the same year, Bono established an organization called DATA, which stands for Debt, AIDS, Trade (in) Africa. The group’s purpose was to call attention to the huge need to reduce African debt, to do something about the AIDS epidemic and improve trade in Africa. By 2005, his influence was spreading, and included efforts to increase Canadian aid to Africa, as well as a series of concerts called Live 8, the goal of which was to increase awareness and raise money for African aid. For his efforts, he was nominated as Time’s Man of the Year and nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Legacy of the Man

How do we understand this man, Bono? What makes him tick? At a time when so many celebrities spend their time and money on themselves and on small, insignificant projects that have little meaning beyond their personal interest, what makes a man like Bono respond so differently? Bono is first of all a Christian and takes that part of Christianity that says that you must take care of the children, the poor and the widowed very seriously. (He notes that Judaism and Islam also have the same charity-based tenets and that the three religions ought to make common cause for the sake of Africa.)

A good part of his future legacy will be the fact that he has put such pressure on the economic powers to increase aid to Africa. He has clearly understood that the future is Africa-half the population is under 20 years of age. At the same time, it has some of the highest poverty in the world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. As much as 70 percent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day, and some 200 million go hungry daily.

If one issue in Africa could be identified as the main catalyst for action, it would certainly be the AIDS epidemic. Nearly 17 million Africans have died of the disease and another 25 million are infected with it, including some 1.9 million children. Raising global consciousness about AIDS has made Bono such a powerful activist for Africa. That said, he also underlines the importance of long-term economic thinking. Immediate help is vital, but these countries also need to develop economies that can support large populations.

Along with others, Bono has pressured the great world economies to reduce African debt to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Debt reduction will allow hundreds of billions of dollars to remain in Africa for development. Further, he recognizes how important trade and economic development will be to the future of Africa. Countries cannot solve AIDS or poverty unless they have the ability to develop sophisticated and sustainable economies. There is plenty of wealth in Africa; it is using this wealth for the benefit of Africans that is so important to Bono.

There are some activists who insist that Bono is too close to the leaders of government. They say that he would be more effective if he stood apart, was more critical, and if he insisted that policies be changed faster and that more money become available for aid. And of course some wags say that his social views do not hurt record and concert sales, making Bono a very rich man. If there are flaws in the man and in his views, they are seemingly not taken seriously by most people, who recognize him for his talents as a musician and his role as an activist for Africa.

Courtesy

Bono’s organization, DATA, has an extensive Website filled with information about its programs and its policies. Visit www.data.org for more information.

A new book, simply called Bono, Riverhead Trade, 2006, is gaining great approval among Bono fans. You can find the book at most larger bookstores, or visit amazon.com for more information.