Get the latest gossip

‘Everyone was happy, but it became annoying’: Ethiopians look back on Band Aid

London cafe owner Yared Markos, 48, saw ‘aeroplanes, biscuits, sweets and cake all over Addis Ababa’ after song’s release

He also recalls the effect of Band Aid, the all-star charity single that has been reworked for 2024, and the “annoyance” felt, in spite of the good he feels the fundraiser did, that a nation that has seen rapid economic growth since the famine, a cradle of civilisation, should be defined by its troubles. The Afrobeats artist Fuse ODG has said negative perceptions the song created did more harm and than good for Africa, while Ed Sheeran said his permission had not been sought to have his vocals featured on new version, and would have refused if he had been asked, because his “understanding of the narrative has changed”. It gives Yared hope that there are opportunities to thrive in Britain, something Zed, who, 20 years ago, travelled across the Sahara by camel, and clung to the bottom of a lorry from Calais, feels acutely, having escaped repressive military service to find “freedom” in Greater Manchester.

Get the Android app