By Sushmita Bose (Hindustan Times)

New Delhi: It’s our story. That’s what culture is. And that’s what makes us aware of who we are — and what we stand for.

‘Can Awareness Change Policy? Using Culture to Influence Global Priorities’ was the last session on day one of the HT Leadership Summit starring Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats, Band Aid, Live Aid, Live-8 and all things rock ‘n’ roll that stood for conscience, change and culture.

Geldof stated at the very outset that his speech would probably be the “greatest load of crap you’d have ever heard”. In the end, session moderator Vir Sanghvi, HT’s advisory editorial director, termed it “probably the most compelling one” in the last five years of the Summit.

Store away the fascist architecture and concepts like idealisation of the individual; the way ahead to changing the world and changing policies is through culture. “The low art of politics will have to appropriate from the high art of culture.” (At a press conference earlier, Geldof spoke of how ‘pop’ stars can be a valuable resource. “I want to access their audience. When I get Pink Floyd to come back together to perform, I’m accessing 90 per cent of America.”)

Rock music, Geldof said, and not English, is the lingua franca of this planet. For his part, he makes best use of it when he does his bit for the starving millions in Africa, organising concerts and shaking up government policies. More than two decades ago, in 1984-85, after the back-to-back Band Aid and Live Aid concerts, he managed to secure $200 million. Things can only get better.

How can India help? There are figures. In 1992, our trade with Nigeria was worth $350 million. Currently, it’s worth $5.6 billion.

Email: sushmitabose@hindustantimes.coms