(Corrects typographical error in headline)
By Catarina Demony
LONDON (Reuters) – British-Ghanaian musician Fuse ODG has urged other artists to follow in the steps of Ed Sheeran and speak up about the 1984 hit “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” which he says perpetuates negative stereotypes of the African continent.
“Everyone’s journey is different … but it would be great that as an artist, you use your platform to effect change,” Fuse ODG, known for hits like “Antenna” and “Dangerous Love”, said in an interview. “I would urge other artists to take the step and speak up.”
The song, one of the most iconic festive tunes of all time, was originally recorded by the Band Aid supergroup of music stars, assembled by rockers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 to raise money to fight famine in Ethiopia.
Two versions followed for its 20th and 30th anniversaries in 2004 and 2014, featuring other groups of artists, including Sheeran, One Direction and Rita Ora.
However, critics say the song’s lyrics paint an unfairly bleak picture of Africa, describing a “world of dread and fear” where “nothing ever grows”.
Defending the song, Geldof has said the money raised “kept hundreds of thousands if not millions alive” and that hunger and water scarcity were real issues and not “colonial tropes”.
It was announced last week that a remix version of the song would be released to celebrate its 40-year anniversary, featuring vocals from those who took part in previous recordings, including Sheeran.
On Monday, Sheeran said his approval had not been sought on the new release.
“Had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals,” he wrote on Instagram. “A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed.”
Fuse ODG said he was also invited to participate in 2014 but turned it down as he believes the song and some of the images used in video clips “dehumanises Africans”.
“On the surface, it looks like he’s raising money to help a crisis, but in the long run, it’s just destroying our collective identity as Africans, and that needs to change,” Fuse ODG said, adding that it may have cost African economies in the long run by dissuading potential visitors or investors.
Fuse ODG has said there were good intentions and that he does not want people to feel guilty for trying to help, but that initiatives such as Band Aid were rooted in historical slavery and colonialism.
“The world has a view of us that’s so distorted and negative that it validates certain actions,” he said. “There’s a lot of unlearning and undoing that needs to be done … to really address this.”
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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