Singer Fuse ODG has launched an “alternative” charity music to Band Help’s Do They Know It is Christmas? after criticising the unique for having doubtlessly damaging results on Africa.
The one titled We Know It is Christmas (Band Help Reply) was launched by the British-Ghanaian singer on Tuesday, in what he described as “not just a song” however a “statement”.
Writing about his new music in The Guardian, the singer mentioned he’s “offering an Afrobeats alternative to Band Aid” as a “celebration of progress and a step toward reclaiming our narratives”.
He mentioned the Afrobeats style has prior to now helped to unite Africans globally and “foster pride in our heritage”.
“We’re no longer waiting for charity; we’re building our own futures. This is about empowerment, pride, and showing the world that Africa’s story is far more than poverty and aid,” he wrote on YouTube.
The rapper mentioned all of the funds from the only will go to the New Africa Development and Aid Fund, which he has launched to assist construct a “financial safety net” for the continent.
It comes after pop star Ed Sheeran mentioned he was not requested permission for his vocals for use in Band Help 40, and would have “respectfully declined” if he had been requested, referencing a submit by Fuse ODG, for updating his view on the matter.
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Fuse ODG mentioned a decade earlier he had refused to participate within the 2014 revamp of the 1984 mission as he feels that whereas it helps get “sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment”.
He mentioned his “mission” is now to “reclaim the narrative, empowering Africans to tell their own stories, redefine their identity, and position Africa as a thriving hub for investment and tourism”.
The singer acknowledged that whereas the general public’s generosity in response to the unique single – which was launched by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to assist charities working with ravenous youngsters in Ethiopia – was “genuine” and addressed “a specific humanitarian crisis”, the best way it depicted Africa “did more long-term harm than good”.
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Artists who took half within the unique Band Help in 1984. Pic: PA
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The re-recording of the music in 2014. Pic: PA
He claims the music “inadvertently contributed to a broader identity crisis for Africans, portraying the entire continent as one monolithic, war-torn, starving place”.
Band Help 40 was launched final month to mark the music’s fortieth anniversary. It’s a remix which blends the voices of artists who’ve featured on earlier editions together with Harry Kinds, George Michael and Bono.
Reacting to current criticism of the hit, Geldof mentioned earlier this week that not one of the arguments put ahead by critics like Fuse ODG and Sheeran would “get any oxygen if Band Aid didn’t come out”.
“Sentiment changes, opinions change, theory changes over 40 years, and that’s correct. You can’t stay stuck,” he mentioned whereas showing on ITV present Lorraine.
“You’ve got to find different ways of combating these issues and different ways of talking about them and what we’re celebrating here, and none of these arguments will get any oxygen if Band Aid didn’t come out. That’s part of all this.
“So Ed says, ‘That is the best way I really feel now’. And I’ve put within the name – he is a extremely pretty man, he is an clever man, he is a serious artist and we’ll have a chat and we’ll both agree or disagree however we’ll speak about it.
“But the debate must be made, and it means that we can argue our point of view even more strongly. So that’s where I’m at with this.”
