I remember the Band Aid single like it was yesterday. How time flies. I didn’t buy a copy and my toes curled every time I was forced to witness the dreary dirge.
Bob Geldof has defended the revival of Band Aid 40 after backlash from critics who claim the ‘colonial’ Christmas single perpetuates harmful stereotypes about Africa.
Well, they have a point. Ethiopia isn’t the whole of Africa and not all of Africa is suffering from famine. Also, this was the beginning of the dreadful charity singles and yetanotherthons, some of which still survive to this day, like the movie monster that just won’t bloody well die. I have never given a penny to any of them and never will.
Ed Sheeran and Fuse ODG are among those who have criticised the song Do They Know It’s Christmas?, which has been condemned for fuelling ‘pity rather than partnership’.
London-born Ghanaian-English rapper Fuse ODG spoke out today, as he released a response called We Know It’s Christmas and urged the BBC not to promote the song.
He told ITV‘s Good Morning Britain that treating the 1984 famine in Ethiopia – which originally inspired Band Aid – as an Africa-wide issue would be similar to labelling all of Europe ‘war-stricken’ due to the conflict in Ukraine.
It comes after Sheeran revealed he would have ‘respectfully declined’ permission for use of his vocals on the charity hit, while other critics have included Lily Allen and Damon Albarn.
For once, I’m with the luvvies, but not just because it is typical white saviour stuff, but because it was the most appalling pile of utter crap.
I remember the moment I realised that song needed to die and be wiped off the air waves for good. I was standing in the Stretford end off the Old Trafford stadium surrounded by around 50,000 Mancs all singing
“feed the scousers, let them know it’s Christmas time “
It was then when people are using the song to insult each other you realise just how miss placed the lyrics are and the song isn’t fit for purpose.
I guess lyrics like “Keep the two fighting groups apart” doesn’t carry as much ‘niceness’ as “Feed the World”.
The response to the famine did far more harm than good. The warlords controlled the country and caused the famine and, thanks to Band Aid, massively increased both their money (due to insisting that aid workers be paid in the local currency and having a ruinous exchange rate – all those American dollars, British pounds etc. flooding the country) and the kit they left behind. Plus they controlled the distribution of the food, increasing their hold and influence.
If you want to maintain an army in the field, you’ll need trucks, tents, field kitchens and food, medical supplies and all the paraphernalia that Band Aid needed to operate and left behind when they left. Oh, and of course, money to pay the troops and money to buy weaponry from the rest of the world.
Kevin Myers wrote a perceptive essay on the result:
https://hotcopper.com.au/threads/an-irishmans-insights-on-africa.3177410/
Back in the 1980’s I read a report that said the population of Sub Saharan Africa had increased five fold since the end of WW2 and was due to whitely pouring food and medical aid into the place. Now those Africans are going to the source of all that lavish free stuff and healthcare by coming to Europe. National and ethnic suicide is insanity.
And I agree with the Macc Lads’parody song “Feed your face, don’t give the bastards a second thought …”
https://genius.com/Macc-lads-feed-your-face-lyrics
And yes, I did not contribute a single green, bent penny to them either.
Hotcopper. Only the young males are gracing us with their diversity. Their children’s mothers and their offspring are abandoned. Watch all the tear jerking Save The Water Carriers pleas.
Where are the daddies?