THE GOVERNMENT is to showcase its much-criticised overseas development aid programme at the Electric Picnic music festival which begins on Friday.
The overseas development aid budget has been one of the worst affected by Government cutbacks as a result of the recession.
It has been cut by nearly €200 million to a projected €696 million this year.
The cuts have been criticised by aid agencies who say it is disproportionate to the overall drop in national income.
However, Junior Minister for Overseas Development Peter Power said Irish aid was still making a significant contribution to alleviating poverty in the developing world.
“We will be letting the public know that, thanks to their support, some 13 million Ethiopians at risk of hunger were assisted last year, while more than 1.5 million vulnerable families in Malawi received seeds and fertiliser to allow them to escape from hunger and poverty,” he said.
The aid unit will be using a tent at the Electric Picnic to answer questions from the public. It will also be hosting a series of drum workshops using African drummers.
The ESB yesterday announced that it is going to provide 6km of energy-efficient coloured light bulbs along pathways to the festival campsite, reducing light consumption at the festival by up to 30 per cent.
Michelin-starred chef Dylan McGrath has been chosen to provide the food for the performing acts at the festival which is held annually at Stradbally in Co Laois.
Mr McGrath blamed the recession for the closure of his Ranelagh restaurant Mint in May just a year after it was awarded a Michelin star. The quest for the star was turned into a television documentary.
McGrath has been involved in consulting for the Nuremore Hotel in Monaghan since the demise of Mint.
He will cook for the acts in a tent in the backstage area. Last year, diva Grace Jones demanded 50 fresh oysters to her table.
He said: “We’ve chosen a great menu full of flavoursome and hearty dishes with loads fresh ingredients, just what you need at a festival. I hear these acts and stars can be really fussy. Let’s hope there is no kicking and screaming”.
Acts playing the festival include Brian Wilson, Madness, Orbital, The Flaming Lips and Florence and the Machine. The headline acts have yet to be announced but it is expected that Dublin-based Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela will headline the Electric Stage on Friday night.
That slot coincides with the release of their new album 11:11 on Friday. The album is previewed on this site.
