Band Aid 30 Song Is Cringeworthy Says Ebola Survivor Will Pooley

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Ebola Survivor Will, who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone, has criticised the Band Aid 30 charity single released to raise money for the crisis.

The British aid worker told Radio Times that “It’s Africa, not another planet…“Stuff about Do They Know It’s Christmas? It’s just like, actually people live normal lives here and do normal things. That sort of cultural ignorance is a bit cringeworthy. There’s a lyric about ‘death in every tear,’ it’s just a bit much.”

Pooley is currently in Sierra Leone c helping Ebola victims also said… “I would say that it’s a good idea to read as much as you can about what’s going on in west Africa, and if you feel so inclined then donate some money to one of the charities, like King’s, that are working out here, directly caring for Ebola patients.”

Pooley’s comment echoes the views of most Africans, Others have also labelled the single insensitive. Emeli Sande said that “a whole new song is required”, while ‘Azonto’ artist Fuse ODG said he was “shocked and appalled” by the lyrics and pulled out of the recording as a result. “I, like many others, am sick of the whole concept of Africa..

This also confirms some points made in an article by Michael Mahadeo and Joe McKinney ‘Media representations of Africa: Still the same old story…’There is a dominant stereotypes influencing our ideological perceptions of the ‘Dark Continent, we see mainly images of the starving child, Aids and disease; no traders except poor ones eking out a living; little education; no police except as enforcers of harsh regimes and mostly Africans as having no agency’