“It’s about 11 o’clock here in Sarajevo,” replies Carter. “There’s a general fear in Sarajevo The town is getting smaller. The perimeter is being fought over and the people are having to come to the centre of town. The supplies of food and water and gas are becoming more of a problem. Also tonight, about 12 kilometres from here are about 12 to 15,000 people refugees that are being attacked by artillery and they have nowhere to go.”
Bono and U2 were widely criticised at the time for naively – or even cynically, it was claimed – blending tragedy and entertainment. However, Carter, who had approached U2 asking for their help raising awareness about what was happening in Bosnia, said that the satellite link-ups did their bit to push Sarajevo closer to the top of the political agenda.
“You’re talking about a lot of people who are seeing something that is extremely real. If I were to go home after the show to the pub or whatever, sure, I could talk about my favourite songs for 20 minute,” he said.
“But, then, the thing that is going to resonate is “what was that?” The person up on the screen – what was that all about? And that is going to turn around in my head over and over. It’s going to make you think about it. That was the hope. I had no illusions the politicians were going to do something about Bosnia. I thought the young people might question it a little bit. That was as much as we could hope for.”
Back in the present and three weeks into Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine confirmation has finally arrived that this is an event deserving international scrutiny. Bono has written a song about it. Actually, not a song – a poem. And not really a poem: more three Limericks layered atop one another like one of The Edge’s guitar solos.
The verses were read aloud by Nancy Pelosi, US House of Representatives Speaker, to mark St Patrick’s Day. Bono, it transpires, has a custom of sending Pelosi a poem every March 17. And while not intended for public consumption, Pelosi decided the world needed to hear what Bono had to say about Ukraine and President Zelensky (U2 later released the poem on social media).
Bono is an iconic frontman. Still, his lyrics can be hit or miss (“In the days when we were swinging from the trees / I was a monkey stealing honey from a swarm of bees,” he sang on Wild Honey). And his Ukraine limerick has certainly divided opinion, as it likens St Patrick banishing the snakes from Ireland to Zelenskyy holding his country together as Russian missiles pound its cities.
“Ireland’s sorrow and pain/Is now the Ukraine,” goes the concluding verse. “And St Patrick’s name now Zelenskiy”.
