ART by Robert Carlyle, Noddy Holder and the American rock band Weezer went under the hammer in Glasgow last night to help reduce third world debt.
The event, All Hands on Debt, organised by Jubilee Scotland, harnessed the artistic talents of a diverse range of famous people to raise funds to help cancel the debt of poorer countries.
Carlyle submitted a Clint Eastwood-inspired piece entitled A Fistful of Debt, which sold for (pounds) 100.
Other work came from former Rangers player Mark Hateley - Debt in a Glass; Justin Currie of Del Amitri - The Freedom to Condemn Others to Poverty; and Darius Danesh of Pop Idol fame - Give Peace a Chance, which sold for (pounds) 140. A total of (pounds) 905 was raised.
Bishop Mandlate, a founder of the Mozambique Debt Campaign, said the auction was an excellent idea to promote the cancellation of unjust and unpayable debt. ''Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world and our debt is crippling the country and growing day by day,'' he said.
Jubilee Scotland, an alliance of overseas agencies, churches, unions and voluntary organisations, campaigns for the cancellation of such debt. But it argues that debt owed to the richest countries is only part of the problem. It says for 17 countries in Africa the cost of prevention and care for HIV-Aids is (pounds) 1.4bn a year - the amount these nations spend servicing their debts.
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