Ive received an invitation from BBC radio Scotland to discuss the Bandaid song and its portrayal of the African continent, below are some thoughts. #BandAid #LiveAid #Live8 As much as I respect and admire philanthropic endeavors, I believe these yearly feel-good rituals of celebrity charity singles to help save poor Africa exemplified by Band-aid fail to (1) deal with the underlying issues that have haunted and kept some countries on the continent in the vicious circle of dependence on the west (often their former colonial masters) and NGOs, and (2) indirectly perpetuates a wholly inaccurate, negative and economically damaging image of the continent. This one-sided view of the continent only serves to reinforce the negative stereotype held by many in the west, whos only image of the continent is taken from their occasional viewing of 2 min televised appeals and the news they read, often on the topic of poverty in the continent. The songs changed by Geldof to reflect the latest epidemic harming the world: the Ebola virus. are not only demeaning, but offensive. No peace and joy this Christmas in West Africa The only hope theyll have is being alive Where to comfort is to fear, where to touch is to be scared How can they know its Christmastime at all? The idea that no one in Liberia, Sierra Leone, or Guinea will be celebrating Christmas is beyond ludicrous; it betrays a total ignorance of the importance of Christianity in each country’s culture, writes one blogger. And not only will they celebrate Christmas with a deeper understanding of its significance (Jesus Christ) than most in the west, the lyrics and video displaying the naked body of a dying Ebola victim underline the callous insensitivity employed to garner donations and lack of dignity offered to the victims in their last moments.While the Ebola epidemic is serious and has affected far too many lives, we shouldnt conclude that people in the affected countries or in fact that there is No peace and joy...in West Africa. This is untrue. While raising money for a cause like Ebola is generally a good thing...Band Aid’s efforts betray an ignorance of Africa and perpetuate negative stereotype, writes another blogger. Its time we stop the never-ending crusade to Save Africa - which many have attributed to a superficial, outward working of a deep seeded apathy and sub-conscience superiority/savior complex in the west, reminiscent of colonial times - and start to appreciate the political and economic diversity of each nation. Whilst on one-hand charitable organisations must be commended for their good deeds, the insensitive generalization and inaccurate portrayal of a continent for the sole purpose of individuals in the west to raise money to Save Africa is not only offensive, but a slap in the face of the many brilliant minds who have had to overcome the wests preconception of a poverty ridden, helpless Africa and are working to create and galvanize further development in their respective countries. That image of poverty and famine is extremely powerful psychologically. With decades of such imagery being pumped out, the average westerner is likely to donate £2 a month or buy a charity single that gives them a nice warm fuzzy feeling; but they are much less likely to want to go on holiday to, or invest in, Africa. If you are reading this and haven’t been to Africa, ask yourself why. -Fuse ODG Read more: Watch Band Aid 30s Do They Know Its Christmas? washingtonpost/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/11/17/they-know-its-christmas/ Why I had to turn down Band Aid: theguardian/commentisfree/2014/nov/19/turn-down-band-aid-bob-geldof-africa-fuse-odg Listen LIVE (21/11/2014) 10:00-30am (GMT):bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/on-air
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 20:54:19 +0000
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