"Do They Know It's Christmas?" Band Aid denounced for racist Christmas song
The song "Do You They Know It's Christmas?", written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, raised millions for famine relief in Ethiopia, but has been criticized for its lyrics.
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- The lyrics of Band Aids' "Do They Know It's Christmas?" have been criticized as racist and colonialist because they contain stereotypical and sweeping statements about Africa.
- The song was recorded in 1984 to raise funds for Ethiopia, made millions and knocked Wham!'s "Last Christmas" off the top of the British charts.
- Critics and concerned parties criticize its ignorant portrayal of Africa, which remains problematic despite later lyric adaptations, while the original version remains popular every year.
Almost 40 years after its success in the UK Christmas charts and raising millions for charity, Band Aids charity anthem is once again facing criticism. Critics complain that the lyrics spread racist and patronizing stereotypes about African people.
The song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was recorded by numerous popular British artists in response to a devastating famine in Ethiopia. It sold millions of copies and raised 8 million pounds (10.1 million dollars) for humanitarian aid within a year.
It also famously knocked "Last Christmas" by Wham! off the top of the charts, a song whose proceeds George Michael donated to the Band Aid fund. But Band Aid's lyrics have not aged well. Critics like Indrajit Samarajiva call it "a horrible, racist song" in the US magazine "Deadline".
Samarajiva writes: "It's not just that these lyrics have aged badly. They weren't good to begin with. They show an ignorant and colonial attitude that's more about making white people feel good than actually helping."
He adds that the song makes sweeping statements about Africa without specifically addressing the suffering in Ethiopia: "For example, the lines: 'There will be no snow in Africa this Christmas. The greatest gift they'll get this year is life. Where nothing ever grows, no rain or rivers flow. Do they even know it's Christmas?"
"Intention is great, implementation is terrible"
Nigerian-Igbo-British writer Ije Teunissen-Oligboh shares her discomfort about growing up in the UK when the song was released: "The intention is great and should be commended, but the execution was terrible and contributed to the spread of stereotypes and misinformation."
"The discomfort I felt as a child watching the single's music video with my predominantly white friends in school assemblies was unnecessary and avoidable ... I had trouble explaining to my classmates that the images they saw in the video were not an accurate representation of an entire continent."
The song has been re-recorded several times since 1984 by different artists and released for various charities, with the lyrics adapted. But the original version remains the standard and is played frequently in the UK every festive season.
This article was created using artificial intelligence (AI). All AI-generated content is verified by the editorial team.
