Bono ja Bob Geldof : pehmeitä kuvia ja kovia sanoja Afrikkaa tuottamassa ja purkamassa

Authors

• Riina Yrjölä

Abstract

By broadening the concept of the political to include the politics of celebrities, this paper aims to examine how the concept of ‘Africa’ becomes produced by two western celebrities, Bob Geldof and Bono, both in their own discourse and in the media’s representation of them. Iargue that they present Africa not only as a place but also as a purpose in the world system. Although Bono and Geldof see themselves as striving for socio-political change in the continent, their representations end up reinforcing the image of Africa as a place in need of western help, guidance and love to become, to grow and to exist. As a result, Geldof’s and Bono’s humanitarian discourses can be seen to play at least three crucial functions in the wider political context: legitimising Western power and authority over Africa, popularizing and organizing western public sentiments to sup­port these actions, and protecting western strategic interests in the continent as well as in the rest of the world.