Band Aid was originally a group compromised of famous musicians and celebrities who covered the infamous “do they know it’s Christmas” song with proceeds going to support UNICEF, this year it was reincarnated as Band Aid 30 to raise funds for the fight against Ebola.
Beginning with what seems like a GoPro attached to a health worker the video shows a very sick individual being picked up from a mattress on the ground and carried out of their home. Cut to flashing cameras and charming smiles as celebrity after celebrity gets out of their cars and walk into a recording studio as the song starts.
The lyrics to this song are so outdated and generalized its scary. Lines like “we can spread our smile of joy”, “pray for the other ones” and the repetitive chorus of “do they know it’s Christmastime at all?” paints a stereotypical, static, picture of the region. First of all, yes “they” know it’s Christmastime. West Africa is not an isolated land, but hey, at least they specified by saying “bring peace and joy to West Africa” and not just Africa. The lyrics in this song reinforce the idea of “us” vs. “them” as though we are not all the same.
Slacktivism at best, Band Aid 30’s tag line is “Buy the Song, Stop the Virus”. Today’s donors don’t want to see a big cheque being handed over; they want to be a part of the solution.
If you want to donate to the research and aid efforts in the prevention of Ebola consider donating your money to any of these organizations: Red Cross, UNICEF, CDC.
While the artists who are a part of the Band Aid 30 video have their hearts in the right place, a more modern song, with less demeaning lyrics, would have helped their cause greatly and prevented much of the backlash in the news.
Buying a song won’t cure a disease, it will simply put a monetary band aid on a very complex and dynamic issue.
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