Help Somalia

August 13, 2011
Famine In Africa: Bono, Anderson Cooper, K'naan Call For Famine Solution (VIDEO)


First Posted: 8/13/11 -- 01:09 PM ET | Updated: 8/13/11 -- 02:07 PM ET

CNN's Anderson Cooper engaged Bono and Somali singer K'naan in a forthright and passionate conversation this past week about the need for aid in Somalia.

Bono, whose foundation ONE tackles health and agriculture issues, says the world needs to find long-term famine solutions. In his conversation with CNN, he said it's time to take a cue from past famines in Africa and develop advanced agriculture programs with better seeds and fertilizers.

"As to the long-term stuff, we know exactly what to do with droughts," Bono said. "You can blame droughts on God, but famines are man-made. We know exactly what to do, and this shouldn't be happening."

Bono also called on the Security Council to help ease access, including providing more troops to allow safer passage of food and supplies.

K'naan told CNN that the world needs to drop its negative stereotype of Somalia, born out of reports of piracy and past famines.

"People have created a psychological fence around their hearts when Somalia is concerned," K'naan said. "We have to find a way to get past that."

Cooper described his time at area hospitals, having spent time with a family who had lost their third child. He lamented that the hospitals lack enough medicine and basic supplies and said the gravity of the famine doesn't seem to have hit people.

"You hear 600,000 children are at risk of starvation," Cooper said. "And those numbers -- they're so big they almost don't seem real. And we start to think this is just a normal thing. But I feel like this should be a headline on every paper on every newscast every day while this is going on. 600,000 at risk of starvation -- on the brink of starvation -- is a catastrophe."

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