In this article we’re going to review one of the greatest concerts in the history of modern music, the Concert For Bangladesh. The Concert For Bangladesh was held on August 1, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in the greatest city in the world, New York. To the youth of the time it was just another concert. But as history goes, it may very well go down as one of the greatest events in mankind’s. The brains behind the concert was ex Beatle, George Harrison, who had become very much into causes after the group split up. In this case, the cause was the people of Bangladesh, who were literally starving to death. The concert was put on in the hopes of bringing some hope to a dying region of the world. Bangladesh had a troubled history. The events leading up to this concert are as follows. In 1969 General Yahya Khan assumed power in Pakistan. His goal was to put an end to end the dictatorship and start a democracy. In December of the following year the League of Bangladesh won a huge victory. It became the largest party in Pakistan. But Kahn was unwilling to allow a power shift to Bangladesh. So the results of the election were ignored and a reign of terror was unleashed in Bangladesh to eliminate the opposition to Kahn. It is estimated that over 1 million people were murdered. This was the greatest atrocity since Hitler and the Jews. The ones who escaped to India suffered terrible starvation, among other things. Thus, the reason for the concert. It all started with a call that George Harrison made to Ringo Starr, another ex Beatle. He then made another call to Leon Russell. Both agreed to come to the East Coast for the concert. After those calls, others were made to business managers, the Garden itself and everyone and anyone Harrison could think of to be of assistance. The list of performers were as long as King Kong’s right arm. At the top of the list was Eric Clapton, who had played with George Harrison while with the Beatles on tunes like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which was played at the concert itself. Another friend of Harrison’s, Billy Preston, who played on the Beatle’s big hit “Get Back” was also there. At the concert itself Preston played “That’s The Way God Planned It.” A group that was up and coming at the time, Badfinger, was also in attendance. They were supposed to be the next Beatles, actually founded by the Beatles and also on Apple Records. At the concert Badfinger served as a backing band and didn’t play any of their original material. Rounding out the all star cast was the great Bob Dylan, who sang many tunes including his signature tune “Blowin’ In The Wind.” The Concert for Bangladesh was not just a concert. It was an event. One that will never be forgotten and one that hopefully will never come again.

We’ve all heard about the disgrace of sweatshops in Asia and other countries. Until you get first hand news of the horrible conditions in these places, it probably doesn’t seem ‘real’. Well it is. And it’s an ongoing tragedy throughout those countries. Following is an account of what Asian women are going through in these situations, specifically in the country of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a country in South Asia that was formerly known as the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Even though the country has gone through domestic and international efforts to improve its economic situation, Bangladesh remains an underdeveloped and overpopulated country. For the majority of people who live there, the annual income is only $440US, and lower still for others. Bangladesh grows massive quantities of rice, tea and mustard. Although two-thirds of its people are farmers, more than three quarters of the country’s earnings come from exports through the garment industry. The ‘industry’, which employs more than 3 million workers, exports an average of $5 billion worth of products! 90% of of its employees, or slaves if you will, are Asian women. Rents are very high in Bangladesh, especially for the factory workers who only earn about $38 US per month. To try to make ends meet, many of the women in the rural areas trek to the city’s sweatshops that offer horrible working conditions. At these sweatshops, the women work between 10 and 12 hours a day, seven days a week. That’s not including their additional household duties either. Needless to say, the atrocious working and living conditions take their toll on the health of these Asian women. As many as 68% of them complain of constant weakness and fatigue which is related to the long hours of work. The second major problem is gastric ulcers which are mainly due to low incomes and irregular eating habits. Chest pain, backaches, eye trouble, headaches and joint pain are other common ailments stemming from their work environment. Asian women working in these horrid conditions are also prone to urinary infections which are a direct result of not having enough access to toilets at work. There are strong restrictions on the number of times they are even allowed to take bathroom breaks. Believe it or not, these women have a union. The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers’ and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said factory owners had prepared a master plan to start addressing these awful work-place conditions. That is yet to be seen. Sexual harassment is also very common in garment factories and the women there are threatened with being fired if they say anything or try to defend themselves. Exploited at work and living in poverty, many of these female workers have turned to prostitution as a way to make some extra money. All in all, no matter how much you dislike the job you have, you’ve got to be thankful, at least, that you’re not an Asian woman living and working in Bangladesh.