Bono: Poverty in Africa is solvable

Not many speakers at Irvine Auditorium receive standing ovations before they say a word, but that is exactly how Bono was greeted Friday evening by more than 1,200 guests.

The U2 frontman-turned-activist spoke to the crowd -- which included just over 100 Penn students -- about his work in Africa and called for the next generation of Americans to reject the idea that Africa is a lost cause.

"It would be easier if [poverty and AIDS] were unsolvable, but they're not," Bono said. "Our generation is the first that can look at poverty and disease and say, 'We do not have to stand for this.'"

Bono compared the 6,500 daily deaths in Africa to the Holocaust and said the responsibility falls on young Americans not to ignore those deaths but to do everything in their power to help.

He likened Americans who do nothing to help Africa to Germans who did nothing to stop Nazi trains from taking Jews to concentration camps.

"We will not turn away as the trains roll away," Bono said. "We will lie down in front of the tracks."

Bono expressed his confidence that America will face the problems of debt, poverty and disease in Africa head-on because America "has the spirit to give fate the finger."

As for what made him embrace his humanitarian role, Bono said that spending time in Ethiopia is what made him realize that he had to help.

"Ethiopia didn't just blow my mind," he said. "It opened my mind."

The rock star recounted a story of an Ethiopian man who tried to give him his infant son in order to save the baby from certain death in the impoverished nation.

Bono also touched on foreign policy, asking the audience, "Isn't it smarter to make friends with potential enemies than to defend ourselves against them later?"

He added that military strength alone is not sufficient to defeat terrorism and that the way to end extremism is to alleviate the poverty that breeds desperation.

"The better world happens to be the safer world," Bono said. "It's a pretty good bargain."

Bono's 45-minute speech was punctuated by applause, cheers and three separate standing ovations that affirmed Bono's popularity with Philadelphians and the Penn students that made up at least 100 of the crowd.

"I think the fact that he's a rock star and has that cool aura around him makes the message that he delivers more salient than other figures," said Catey Mark, president of the Social Planning and Events Committee, which helped plan the event. "He is this famous singer, but he still cares so much about humanitarianism."

College freshman Rachel Shah -- who did not have a ticket for the event but was granted admission anyway -- said that she enjoyed the speech.

"I liked that he wasn't afraid to admit that he's a rock star," Shah said. "He was completely right in saying that the situation is an emergency that goes beyond charity."

The event ended with the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia presenting Bono with the International Statesman Award for his work.

"Bono is an activist in the truest sense of that word," said Jim McGivern, executive vice president of American Water, a water-resource company. "How many other rock stars could do what Bono does?"

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.