Music DVD Review: Dispatch - Dispatch Zimbabwe - Live At Madison Square Garden - Page 3

I've talked about the band members mainly as musicians to this point, but I don't think they would be half the performers they are if they weren't the people they are. During the special features sections of the DVD, and during the main feature, we get to see them interacting with each other and with others involved with the project. What struck me the most was the way the children in the choir reacted to them - every time they would see one of the band members their faces would light up in absolute joy as if he was the person they wanted to see most in the world.

Now I don't buy into the innocence of children or any of that crap, but I do know that no child will react in that manner, no matter how much you want them to, if it's not genuine. These weren't rock stars that they were in awe of or idolized, these were guys who inspired trust and love and you could see it in their eyes. Remember these children have grown up surrounded by poverty, the aftermath of genocide, and seen their communities ravaged by AIDS and are going to be far less likely to trust strangers than others. Yet they saw something in the three young men of Dispatch that made them feel safe. That says more about Dispatch's character than any accolades that any adult could say or list.

As I previously mentioned the special features of Dispatch Zimbabwe - Live At Madison Square Gardens contained some extra songs, but that's just the starting point. It also included a documentary feature on conditions in Zimbabwe, as well as a history of the country until this point. One of the most important points that's raised is that Zimbabwe is still a very young country. It was only in 1980 that they had managed to overthrow a government every bit as racist as South Africa's, so they are still experiencing the hardship of the transition from minority ownership of the majority of the land to a more equitable distribution.

It doesn't help matters that expatriate white Zimbabweans have taken to blaming the land reforms for the current economic crises and seem to be receiving a sympathetic hearing in Washington (The American government has imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwe and increased them earlier this year)

Thankfully the people involved with Dispatch are independents and willing to chart their own path. Part of the special features also offers an explanation of what Dispatch is intending to do with the money they raised from the concerts and subsequent DVD sales. First of all, they've set up a charitable foundation which is where all the money is funneled. The foundation is researching Non Government Agencies at work in Zimbabwe that they think will put their money to best use. They don't want to tell people how to spend the money - instead they are looking for groups who have projects already up and running that could use monetary assistance to help meet their goals.

Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the forthcoming book What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and on line all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

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