Monday, November 17, 2014

Band Aid 30: That song against Ebola isn't bad

No, not the Geldof one. This one:

The artists on this track are Tiken Jah Fakoly, Amadou & Mariam, Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare, Kandia Kora, Mory Kante, Sia Tolno, Barbara Kanam and rappers Didier Awadi, Marcus (from the band Banlieuz'Arts) and Mokobe.

One of the criticisms levelled, fairly, at the original Band Aid was that Bob and Midge had failed to find any African artists to take part at all, creating a sense that this was an act of Imperialistic Paternalism.

No chance of that this time round, as Angélique Kidjo is involved. That's one African. (At a stretch, Fuse ODG was raised in Ghana and is in the chorus, but he's an English artist.) Four singles, and in all that time, she's the first African national to have got to deliver a line on the song. At this rate, by the time they get to Band Aid 50, they might manage as many as two Africans.


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