Band Aid 20

Band Aid 20's charity single has just been released in the UK and, as the BBC says, "criticising this feels like beating up Father Christmas". Most of the criticism levelled at the song so far has focussed on the blandness of the singing.

Campaigning organisation the World Development Movement, however, have come out with a searing indictment on Band Aid 20's lyrical content, describing it as "patronising, false and out of date":

"The song perpetuates the myth that Africa's problems can somehow be blamed on lack of rainfall and failed harvests. It conjures up an image of a continent inhabited entirely by starving children with flies on their faces sitting in the sunbaked bed of a dried up stream. African poverty is not an unfortunate accident of geography and climate. It is largely the result of damaging policies such as free trade forced on Africa by rich countries."

"The problem in Ethiopia today is not that nothing will grow, the problem is that the coffee that they are growing is worthless because of the mismanagement of the global economy by countries like ours."

"Africans are not passive victims of circumstance, dependent on our handouts. In fact Africa gives us as much money in debt repayments as it receives in aid. Across the continent angry Africans are demanding trade justice, debt cancellation and the regulation of multinational companies.

"The public are perfectly capable of understanding the abusive nature of the relationship between the rich and poor world. Once they understand the role of rich countries in keeping Africa poor their anger forces governments to listen and act."

Powerful words. There's more here. And if you feel like rewriting the Band Aid lyrics, go here.