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Ed Sheeran, Fuse ODG: do they know they’re dead right about Band Aid? Africa needs more than a singalong
No wonder pop stars and others feel uneasy about the project. However well-intentioned, it now does more harm than good, says author and broadcaster Nels Abbey
In a video released online, Fuse ODG painstakingly detailed the effect of Band Aid: “While they may generate sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism and investment, ultimately costing the continent trillions and destroying its dignity, pride and identity. So in 1984, at the very moment Britain and other western states should have been reflecting on the impact of that scramble and the subsequent explosion of colonisation, the British entertainment establishment released a charity single “for Africa”. Instead of a serious conversation about reparations or a Marshall plan for Africa, we get super dehumanising adverts seeking 50p a month and a well-timed national singalong that we trot out at the exact moment we should be speaking about economic justice and repair.
Or read this on The Guardian
