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Bono
at 50 – rock star, humanitarian and philanthropist
By
Peter Kerr
The driving
music of It’s A Beautiful Day gave Bono and U2 fame that
crossed
generations. His commitment to alleviating Third World poverty and
hunger has continued to grow, earning the respect of world political
leaders, and even the late Pope John Paul II.
“Bono knows as
much about Africa as
anyone I know”, states former Prime Minister of Canada Paul
Martin in
his book Hell or High Water, when commenting about his rock star friend
Bono. At first glance it may seem to be an unusual friendship; a
world-renown rock star and a businessman/politician. However, like Paul
Martin, Bono has a genuine concern for the plight of the
world’s
poor
and politically disenfranchised peoples. (Paul Martin is now serving as
a senior advisor for two United Nations organizations to help in
Africa.)
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Approaching
50 in May,
Bono continues his efforts to alleviate Third World hunger and poverty;
and is in regular contact with Canada’s Paul Martin, who is
Co-Chair of the African Development Bank |
They
have forged a friendship and an alliance because of their mutual
commitment to act on their concerns and to use their personal resources
(financial and political) to make a positive difference, especially in
Africa. A closer examination reveals that Bono - like Paul Martin
– is also an astute businessman and investor; which gives him
the
financial resources to be a philanthropist of world-class proportions.
How does an Irish rock ‘n’ roller evolve from a
modest
background to becoming a major influence the international scene in the
fight against poverty, hunger and promoting Third World debt relief.
He’s been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, 2005
and
2006 for his philanthropy. It’s along way from a 3 room house
in
Dublin and a father who told his children that “to dream is
to be
disappointed”.
Bono and his band mates in U2 have sold out every one of their concert
appearances in the last 10 years, grossing an incredible $844 million
from their live shows, second only to The Rolling Stones. The first
part of their current 360 Tour has already grossed $123 million, with a
projection of $312 million for the entire tour. However, Bono is quite
possibly more famous for his humanitarian work and philanthropy than
for his music. It is certain that his incredible musical success has
given him the star status platform and personal wealth to fund his
philanthropic activities.
Bono was born Paul David Hewson and his Irish parents were an unusual
couple in a country deeply and violently divided along religious lines.
His mother, Iris, was Anglican and his father Robert a Roman Catholic.
Bono was just 14 when in a tragic co-incidence; his mother suffered a
fatal cerebral aneurysm while attending her own father’s
funeral.
The Hewson household of two boys and a father was never the
same.
Bono writes most of the
lyrics for
U2’s songs, and many of his songs reflect the untimely loss
of
his
mother. Bono and his younger brother Norman had to grow up fast; and
again the theme of childhood versus maturity is evident in
Bono’s
song
lyrics.
As a teenager, Bono and his friends
gave each other nicknames, and at one time his was Bono Vox, a name he
didn’t care for until he learned that the translation from
Latin
meant
“good voice”. By his mid-teens he was playing and
singing
in a band,
and decided that he like the nickname after all. By the late
‘70s
it
was shortened to Bono, and that’s what it’s been
ever
since.
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Larry Mullen, Bono, Adam Clayton and The Edge (David Evans) have
performed together as
U2 since 1976 |
Bono first met his wife Alison Stewart while the two were Mount Temple
Comprehensive School. They were married in 1982, and have two sons and
two daughters. Their principal residence remains in Dublin, although
the couple also have homes in southern France (shared with long-time
band mate and business partner David Evans “The
Edge”), an
apartment in New York City and a small house in a rural English
village. Bono and The Edge are also business partners in several
ventures, including the transformation of The Clarence Hotel in Dublin
from a tourist-class to a five star luxury property.
A young Hewson and some friends answered a bulletin board notice at
Mount Temple from a fellow student Larry Mullen; asking for anyone
interested in starting a band. Bono, brothers David and Dik Evans and
Adam Clayton replied; and with the exception of Dik Evans, the band has
been together ever since 1976 – albeit with a few names
before
settling on U2. They wrote many of their own songs because in the early
days they weren’t good enough to play other
artists’
material partiularly well. Bono originally was one of the guitarists,
but the other fellows suggested that the band would have a better sound
if he concentrated on singing. Thirty years and millions of record
sales later (including 22 Grammy Awards), U2 was inducted into the Rock
‘n’ Roll hall of fame in 2005, their first year of
eligibility. It’s a testament to the strength of the original
friendships that the four musicians have stayed together –
given
the vagaries of a life in show business.
Bono’s signature wraparound sunglasses are not a rapper-style
affectation. Rather, he wears them to alleviate sensitivity to light.
They’ve become both a trademark and a fashion statement. Even
Pope John Paul II asked for a pair when he met Bono! Summing up, he
states; “It’s part vanity, part privacy and part
sensitivity.”
A charismatic stage performer, Bono has channelled his forceful
personality to help him in his philanthropic endeavours. He and the
rest of U2 have accumulated tremendous personal wealth, a pre-requisite
to philanthropy. You have to have money in order to give it away in
enough quantity to make a large scale difference. In fact, TIME
Magazine paired Bono with Bill and Linda Gates as Person of the Year in
2005.
As early as 1984, Bono and U2 played at the Band Aid and Live Aid
projects organized by Bob Geldof to raise funds and awareness for the
plight of the world’s hungry. Bono and Geldof subsequently
worked
together to produce the Live 8 concert project in 2005, with U2 again
one of the anchor performing groups.
Highly intelligent, he has studied the history and background of the
issues and causes he champions. This has enabled him to win the
confidence of world leaders when they realize that he knows as much or
more than they do about the issues surrounding Third World poverty and
debt relief. Bono is an active participant at international aid
conferences. It was at the G7 Conference in Prague that Bono met Paul
Martin, who as Prime Minister announced that Canada would begin
forgiving Third World debt. Bono issued his famous quote;
“Paul
Martin is a f--king great guy!” In a tongue-in-cheek comment
in
his memoir, Martin suggested to his publishers that this would make a
fine book title.
Bono was named Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in
2007, and was granted a knighthood in Dublin in March of the same year.
He was also recognized by the NAACP in the United States, receiving the
Chairman’s Award, and he was awarded the Philadelphia Liberty
Award in September 2007 for his efforts to end poverty and hunger.
Consistent with his commitment to match his words with action, Bono
donated the accompanying $100,000 to the Washington-based DATA (Debt,
AIDS, Trade, Africa); an organization he co-founded with Bobby Shriver
(of the Kennedy family) in 2002. (Robert Sargent Shriver is a member of
the extended Kennedy family and a respected attorney, investor and
social activist.)
In 2005 Bono, his wife Ali Hewson and New York-based fashion designer
(and fellow Irishman) Rogan Gregory established a clothing line EDUN,
and to promote the use of factories in Africa, South America and India
and to pay workers fair wages, utilize ethical business practices and
to create a business model that would attract other international
investment in developing nations. The line is still active,
specializing in online marketing of their clothing and continues to pay
Third World workers a fair wage.
Vanity Fair magazine invited Bono to be guest editor of their July 2007
issue titled “The Africa Issue: Politics and
Power”. His
reputation attracted political leaders, philanthropists and prominent
celebrities to participate. With different covers photographed by Annie
Leibovitz, that issue raised awareness and sensitized millions to the
serious issues facing African people and their governments.
Bona has been criticized as a dilettante, making huge sums of money
from his high profile as a musician. He has also been criticized for
failing to work with local African entrepreneurs and grassroots
organizations. Not shy to respond, Bono addressed his critics in a
Times Online article; “…they are cranks carping
from the
sidelines. A lot of them wouldn’t know what to do if they
were on
the field. They’re the party who will always be in opposition
so
they’ll never have the responsibility for decisions because
they
know they’ll never be able to implement
them.”
In May 2007 Bono travelled to Africa with NBC Nightly News anchorman
Brian Williams; to present that continent’s humanitarian
crisis.
Williams and the Nightly News editors saluted Bono in November 2007 as
a person “making a difference”.
In another initiative to generate funding for the battle against AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria, Bono and Bobby Shriver established Product
Red, and galvanized the participation of corporate heavyweights
American Express, Apple, Converse, Motorola, Microsoft, Dell, The Gap,
and Giorgio Armani to create a product with the Product Red logo. A
percentage of the profits from the sales of each product is given to
the Global Fund. Since its inception, the list of participating
companies has increased dramatically, including the addition of Nike.
Star status and name recognition certainly help to open doors. However,
world political leaders, including high-level directors at The United
Nations have come to appreciate Bono’s depth of knowledge,
intellect and desire for action. His vision, influence and hands-on
commitment have helped advance the cause of millions of poor, hungry
and people afflicted with AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria.
Bono and U2 will bring their 360 Tour to Montreal on July 16 &
17;
with the group funding the $3 million construction of a temporary
stadium at Hippodrome Montreal (Blue Bonnets).
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