The Guardian’s “Poverty Matters Blog” on Friday claimed “… there is no simple answer to whether we should or should not use stars to promote good causes,” especially when it comes to development issues. Though the phenomenon has spawned a slew of derogatory words to describe the celebrity/cause mashup (“celanthropists”, “mallrtuism”, “charitainment” and “badvocacy”, and even “celebrigod”), argued Poverty Matters, “… like it or not, celebrities are regarded as crucial tools to raise unpopular issues, and over the past 25 years, development issues have been inextricably linked with celebrity status.” Even better, “… experts in development will acknowledge that celebrities like Bono or Bob Geldof now know an immense amount about the subjects on which they are lobbying.”
Here you can listen to The Guardian on whether celebrities “have a role in development.”–Neelika Jayawardane.
