- Music
- 17 Nov 14
Band Aid leader criticised for lack of diversity
The British group Race Equality: In Music Industry have posted an open letter addressing what they believe to be a lack of African representation in the latest renewal of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?'.
While insisting that it is not a personal attack on Bob Geldof himself, the letter states: "It is a shame that 30 years on [from the original Band Aid recording], Geldof, a man who seems to have a passion for Africa, has not widened his address book to include African artists."
Written prior to the debut of the song - and so, before we knew of the involvement of artists including Seal and Angelique Kidjo - the letter bemoans the fact that Emeli Sande was the only high-profile musician of colour lined up to participate in the project.
It continues: "Interestingly, a number of African artists on the continent have recorded songs to raise awareness about the ebola virus, but as the organisers or artists do not have the same profile or media access as Geldof, you've probably not of heard of them."
The fundraising effort has also come under attack from Damon Albarn. The Blur frontman opined that "there are problems with our idea of charity", and urged the musicians to take the time to visit Africa themselves, in order to get a greater understanding of what is necessary to help people there.