Coldplay singer mixes music with message on trade in Paris

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2005

PARIS (AFP) — Chris Martin, frontman of the British band Coldplay, got heated up his about equitable trade ahead of a Paris gig, telling journalists that it was an issue about which "everybody should be concerned."

"We live on the same planet as everybody else.... It will affect all of us, whether you are Coldplay or Jacques Chirac," he said.

The 28-year-old singer, who has taken his "Make Trade Fair" campaign on the road with him wherever his group plays, said a January trip to Ghana reinforced his frustration with the protectionism of rich countries.

"I talked with a farmer who couldn't sell what he was growing because the market is saturated. He was my age, but our experiences are totally different just because of our geographical origin. I could have...