White Saviour

[username8348]

Ed Sheeran has said that he wouldn't participate in a rerecording of Do they Know it's Christmas which was first released in the 80s to raise money for a famine in Africa.

The single and other similar endeavours have been criticised as portraying a negative view of Africa and belying a White Saviour complex.

Some critics have said that Africa is capable of dealing with its own problems and such sentiments mean it loses business and investment:

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 - Fuse ODG

Do they know it's Christmas was last rereleased to raise money for ebola. Geldof has denied the claims saying that they're bollocks and the money has achieved a lot.

Western countries give a lot of aid to African nations, is it time to stop that aid? Many countries are feeling the pinch and could plough the money into their own nations.

AIBU to believe that we should stop playing the White Saviour and as advised, let Africa deal with its own problems?

Oh I absolutely agree!
It is and always has been, a crap song, written quickly, recorded quickly to get it out to raise money. It is in no way a good song aside from the fundraising aspect.
I would be so happy to never hear it again.
Plus it is sad and frustrating that the money raised does not reach the intended recipient.

Lots of people don't/didn't think it was a crap song. Turn your radio on (now OR in 1984!) and you will hear many songs you think are crap and someone else likes.

I don't think Ed Sheeran was born!

Stop using the word woke for a start and generally the left wing are more correct dear.

Womblewife
The song lyrics are quite unpleasant really - “thank god it’s them instead of you” - that is not nice, I have never thanked god someone is going through terrible times so I am not. What an absurd lyric!

the song raised money, let’s not have it again.

@Womblewife the lyric is "TONIGHT thank god it's them... meaning, tonight they are raising money for "them" and not "you"

Things have moved on but we cannot get away from the fact that many of the systemic issues in African were caused by European colonists. I think longer term there's a difference between relief efforts which will always be periodically needed around the world for disasters/unexpected events and long term support to build self sufficient nations. I don't have a solution but simply abandoning Africa to its fate is unfair because we (collective we, the French, Belgium's, Italians, Portuguese, Germans and Spanish) have all been to blame

Wow.

Even if the volunteers are working for 'free' the money spent getting Europeans to the place to build would have paid for professional builders to be brought in from a local area or even another closer country.

I like the way you assume it would be the European who may become rich, if you are wanting to improve things, then education to allow the orphans to thrive and earn would be better than being the pet project of a uni or church.

I have looked in to volunteering, a few years ago the first school for Deaf children opened in Uganda. Ugandan Sign Language is very close to BSL which I'm fluent in, I'm also a teacher.

I decided the best thing I could do was buy a couple of school uniforms that allow children to attend.

Even if the volunteers are working for 'free' the money spent getting Europeans to the place to build would have paid for professional builders to be brought in from a local area or even another closer country.

Except that these people are spending the money, not the orgphanage, and they're NOT going to just send the money.

As for who gets rich - god, if things go well, I'd hope that everyone gets rich. When, say, a church or university in another country supports an orphanage or a school in Africa, it absolutely is about helping the children in that community to thrive. It pays for teachers. Sometimes it pays for equipment or facilities. sometimes it might pay for transport because otherwise chidlren can't access those facilities, or food so that they can eat during the day. If those funds are not there, then there are no teachers, there are no classrooms, there is no support to get to school. That money has to come from somewhere - I'm all in favour of some of it coming from other countries.

The point I was making is that in the original comment, a poster was being very dismissive and inaccurate about how some (not all) of these volunteering schemes work, what these volunteers do, and the long term value. Not least that they're not doing professional jobs!

As for you, personally, I'd have thought you going out there and hgelping to teach other teachers to use sign language would have been quite helpful potentially, but obviously it depends on the program, existing skill levels etc. Although yes, of course, if you spent the money with them instead of on your fights and accomodation, I can see how that's a great value too.

My midwife when I had DD was from Nigeria. She spends 3 months every year returning to Nigeria (over the worst of winter here! Sensible woman!) during which time she works in communities training women and midwives because many don't have the skills or knowledge that can prevent infant and maternal deaths.

I stand by my comment, I was in my late teens when it came out and it head and shoulders stank above everything else that came out at that time, rubbish tune, painful lyrics, it was just a vehicle for collecting money, and it did that very successfully

Where does the money go then? Someone posted a link to the charity report, it says they give grants to support groups that are supporting health initiatives and providing food.

So where do you think HIV originated? Or are you disputing the interaction between HIV & TB?

https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/hiv-aids/hiv-and-tuberculosis

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2935100/

Is it the people they are claiming to help that are complaining? Or it is better off Africans, maybe Africans not living in Africa who are complaining because they don't like the image it projects.

Fuse is the one who was embarrassed as a child because of the pictures of starving children. Lucky him, he was being fed but hey let those children starve rather than offend his sensibilities. No one is stopping wealthy Africans or African countries from being the saviours, black or white

I couldn't care less about the music, I never bought the record as I donate in other ways but unless someone can prove that no one in need got food I'm all for helping the starving. Lots of talk about the money not going to the right place but the BBC had to apologise for their allegations about that.

Ten years ago when this was again discussed Farm Africa said this, "“Since 2000 Farm Africa has received grants worth over £550,000 from Band Aid that have supported our work with Ethiopian pastoralist communities to develop sustainable livelihoods; our programmes empowering Ethiopian women through goat breeding and other livelihoods, access to savings and credit and legal advice; and our work in South Sudan (then still part of Sudan) to support the recovery and development of rural communities.” She adds: “We remain true to our founding belief that small-scale agriculture is the key to ending hunger and poverty in rural Africa and that, with the right support, Africa can feed itself.”"Sounds positive to me.

I had missed the more updated info re the SIV strain found in primates. Thank you for pointing me to it. V interesting and I've done a little reading today.

I will need to go and read up more as I don't understand why it took so long to become an epidemic .

Certainly, in the late 90s, when I was studying this (from a historical and sociological perspective, not as a scientist), there was a lot being written about the fact that it was spreading quickly in populations that are heavily migratory (including, for example, through people in the travel industry, merchant navy etc as wel as migrant labour in Africa, combined with these populations more inclined to wide ranging sexual activity (ie promiscuis, and across borders). Certainly, those types of migrant labour/ migratory populations (maybe less air travel) would still have been an issue in the 50s and 60s. I will have to read a lot more about this.

Oh, and yes, the TB thing is a huge issue. But from memory, I believe that HIV often leads to significant deaths by diseases that are particularly problematic in those populations? I clearly need to update my understanding of HIV but I remember being taught that lots of people who die of AIDS, would technically be considered to have died from somethign else - TB etc. Isn't that why Thabo Mbeki got into trouble many years ago? He said something about HIV lowering the population's ability to manage/prevent/recover from other diseases but it sounded like he was denying that there was a problem?

Surely the lyric is referencing their lack of means to 'celebrate' or mark the day rather than being unable to follow the Christian calendar?

The difference is your midwife is takin a skill over. 18 year old Julie and Jonathan just out of school with no skills whatsoever are off on a holiday. They are calling it volunteering to look good.

Yes, this! I always think of the rough sleepers on these cold, winter nights and say ‘Thank God’ for my clean warm bed, I appreciate how very fortunate I am that I have a roof over my head…very much ‘there but for the grace of God’

My kids and GC have never done it but from GS has told me about friends they pay a lot for the experience and I'm sure the money must be useful even if the teenagers aren't.

Have a look at the companies arranging these 'volunteering' breaks on companies house. A massive amount are private businesses making money for themselves and selling it to youngsters as altruistic endeavours.

Also in an area with limited resources eg rural Africa, do they really need another 6 UK teens to feed. Also remember the UK is not the only Country with youngsters doing the same. It's a holiday industry.

I always thought “thank God its them instead of you” meant that we should consider ourselves lucky to not be suffering a famine. And “do they know it’s Christmas?” meant that if you’re struggling for food then you might not even think about Christmas that year.

But anyway, it is a bit cringy and probably best left in the past now. I was definitely affected by the song, the images and the whole movement. I remember seeing footage of Addis Ababa as a young child and being surprised that there were normal roads, buildings and people that seemed well nourished. It would be good to get a more balanced view of campaigns these days.

I think it's really worthwhile having a conversation about charity and whether or not the current model is working but the problem is some people hear the chat about 'white saviours' and get their knickers in a twist about white people can't do anything right and the whole conversation is derailed.

I'm coming from this from a slightly biased point of view because I really can't stand live aid/comic relief/children in need and a load of mega wealthy, tax dodging entertainers trying to persuade people with far less cash than them to try and part with it, however I'll try to be objective.

• I wish people had a better understanding of why we give aid to some other countries.
• IMO the current model isn't fit for purpose and lines the pockets of the wrong people. I actually like the idea of micro loans better.
• I've worked in a developing country before (apologies I know that's not the correct term anymore but I can't remember it) and there's a lot people in the U.K. don't realise about how much people there are taken advantage of - I mainly saw by British and American companies though I have no doubt that that other countries are doing it too.
• I really hope we're past the days of celebs boosting their own profile by flying off to some orphanage in Malawi to film themselves crying amongst the kids for a comic relief segment. I do think these types of videos have contributed to the idea of poor starving lazy Africans doing nothing to help themselves.

A church I used to go to sent a group out to "build a school" it was generally a pretty affluent area and mostly people that worked in banks/law/finance that were going, they probably employed the local handyman to put up a shelf or plumb in the dishwasher at home, I'm not sure how helpful they or their teen kids were going to be.

I often wonder what would happen if all the teens going on world challenge, half way round the world to build a well/toilet block/school, turned up at a building site to offer their services somewhere in the UK....

this very important post didn’t get enough attention imo.

“The initiative is good – to help people is a good thing,” Harur says, although he adds that “aid is not a long-term solution”, saying Africa needs a “technological revolution” that starts from within.

“Good economics is the prerequisite of democracy,” he says. “What people want is sustainable growth. If there is political justice, economic justice and social justice, you can maintain peace.”
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/nov/26/everyone-was-happy-but-it-became-annoying-ethiopians-look-back-on-band-aid

Except that these people are spending the money, not the orgphanage, and they're NOT going to just send the money.

That says it all doesn't it?

They are going for the experience, for a bit of a jolly, not to genuinely help a community.