~ Make Poverty History March

Edinburgh 2005 ~

The 2nd of July 2005 saw the uniting of millions of people across the globe sharing one message “Make Poverty History”. Whether you were one of the million spectators at the concert in Philadelphia, or part of the 250,000 strong crowd marching at Edinburgh or you watched from the

comfort of your own sofa; it is an event which cannot have escaped anybody’s notice.

Although some people may claim that the various global concerts took the focus away from the march in Edinburgh, there is no denying that they have certainly raised awareness of the cause dramatically. Raising it more importantly not just in this country but in many others, including those whose leaders are part of the G8. Cynics claim that America’s  concert “lacked a strong moral message” and the performers used the concert to further their careers and massage their egos. It is often the case that people’s actions are treated with cynicism even when they are supporting a good cause.

Live 8 and the march at Edinburgh have certainly not escaped the government’s notice, which is being forced to address rather than ignore the problem. However it did not take long for Gordon Brown to defend any future decisions which may not benefit the poorest countries as he claimed Making Poverty History was “the work of a lifetime and not the work of a week”. While it is easy to be sceptical of this comment it certainly does ring true. Although Saturday was a big step forward there is still a long and difficult path to follow.We must also recognise that in order to stop the poverty of others we are going to have to make changes to our own lifestyles. For example if the government agrees to make the suggested changes to the trade laws then there will be an influx of cheaper goods from other countries, for example India. If this happens it is unlikely that more expensive British goods will be chosen in preference, consequently some people in Britain may lose their jobs. It is a complex situation in which the outcomes are still unknown and probably will remain unknown until they are made a reality. When placed in this light it is clearer why some people are less reluctant than others to Make Poverty History, as the saying goes “Charity begins at home”. This is not meant to be scare-mongering, merely facing up to the reality and accepting that the fight ahead may be difficult.

However India’s situation may seem almost desirable when compared to many African countries’ current position.  This seems especially true in relation to the AIDS crisis. This is not helped by the fact that many people do not use condoms because of religious rulings, which in Africa means that the crisis is spiralling out of control. Nor does Aid seem to help. Apart from the hypocrisy of our own government’s aid which is counteracted by the debt repayments received, there is also the problem of corruption of some African governments. which means that money stays at the top resulting in the juxtaposition of overt wealth for some people against the abject poverty of many more. When aid is given to countries caught up in civil war it is probably not given to the people who need it the most - a hungry soldier with a gun will not stay hungry for long. However it is evident that we cannot throw money at this problem and expect it to go away, as is so often the case in our own society.

Despite this the events on that Saturday in Edinburgh have shown that there are many people who care deeply about the cause and that these people also have strength and determination. The atmosphere in Edinburgh was phenomenal, there were so many different groups of people all dedicated to the cause including Water Aid, Socialist party, Christian Aid and many individual groups. There are already success stories; one man cycled from Southampton to Edinburgh to join in on the march, many people had walked up from different places around the country. Nor should we forget those who helped organise the event looking after and out for 250,000 people - not a job I envied. Although there were some people who attempted to cause trouble they were swiftly rounded up by the police who did their job admirably.The hundreds of coaches which were there all followed the same route and consequently stopped at the same service stations where swarms of people wearing white piled out and almost like locusts engulfed the service station. The effect was comical if you were a part of it but must have seen like a mass cult if you weren’t.

Many people trace the problems of the suffering of Africa and other countries back to different sources. They lament; colonialism, mercenary pharmaceutical companies, the greed of western societies, the corruption of the powerful or the unrelenting nature of religions. However if one message/lesson could be taken from this it is the words of Harry Truman “The buck stops here.” If, as Gordon Brown insists, Making Poverty History is the work of a lifetime, let’s make it our lifetime in which the change is made.

                                                                                          Rachel Garner

Rachel wrote her comments very soon after the event (the virtues of youthful enthusiasm in response to the request of the Christward editor). I write mine on the eve of the deadline for submission and have toadmit that many of the details of the day now escape me. I am left with a series of lasting impressions. A huge number of people in the country cared enough to plan to get to Edinburgh and to get up early enough to do so!

Eleven of us from Union Chapel set off together on a coach from Chorlton St bus station, Town was empty! Although so many people were involved, there was still opportunity for small, individual surprises- meeting Liz Neal at one of the service stations on her way with a different group (and of course reminding her about the next church weekend) – and being able to track down one of Rachel’s friends in the meeting area despite poor mobile phone contact and not being seventeen feet tall to stand above the crowd.

Kay did a masterful shepherd’s role- all the UCF group managed to stay together and walk with our banner when we eventually started the march, part of a huge but friendly and good-natured procession snaking through Edinburgh. We waited over two hours to start the march, and the patience of the waiting crowd was impressive, though perhaps slightly less marked at the point where we waited which was near the group of mobile toilets - a definite bonus when able to move out of odour range.

We found Ben and Laura at the Speke tent, a wonderful design. The body of the tent was constructed of panels of material to resemble a full skirt, with the body of the dress outside. The panels of the skirt were covered with messages and the colours blended to give a quiet peaceful feel to the tent –quite an achievement given the circumstances!  We never tracked down Alan or Margaret Redhouse who had gone separately  - we’ll need to brush up on our communication techniques before the next demonstration…

Yes. I would go again, despite the early start and the long journey, and the standing around… it felt very special to be part of such a big group of people showing solidarity for a cause, coming from different backgrounds and persuasions but able to enjoy their time together and make such a positive stand.

                                                                                 Margaret Garner