I have seen a few posts, blog posts, comments on social media and general bah humbug, about the new Band Aid song, released this week, organised by Sir Bob Geldoff and sung by a host of celebrities, as they did 30 years ago, with their original song.
You can see video of the new song here (warning, the initial clip is graphic, with a dead body)
There is a lot of anti about the video, and the motive behind it. Whilst I am normally anti armchair activism, I bought the new single via iTunes. Yes, it is probably a very small drop in a MASSIVE ocean, not very much in the grand scheme of things.
Yes, I know Ebola is not the only disease that Western Africa is facing, and that Malaria and other diseases as well as poverty and lack of sanitation are an ongoing huge issue, but at the moment Ebola is rampaging and killing thousands, in countries that simply don’t have the medical facilities to deal with it. It is a global problem, because what affects these countries with people who need help, is all our problem, not just something we can pretend is thousands of miles away, and can ignore, yet many countries are choosing to do so, and the various global organisation fighting Ebola are struggling to raise the funds they desperately need to provide medical care, and help deal with this disease and help the people. Within minutes of being released the single raised £1million and has raised over £3 million so far. That is NOT to be sneezed at. You can be all cynical about Sir Bob, Bono and his friends, but at least they are DOING SOMETHING.
So I bought and am listening to the new single, and whilst I might not think it is as good as the old one, and maybe the words are bit stereotypical, I am glad I did. People who are sitting in their armchairs chuntering about it, having done nothing at all to donate or help to Ebola or other very needy causes can take their bah humbug elsewhere.
(And by the way, we currently support via a monthly payment, Medecins Sans Frontiers – Doctors without Borders, who are on the front-line fighting the tide of Ebola, in other areas of Africa and other countries so we do put our money where our mouth is too!)
Just for good measure, because I am a child of the 80’s you can view the original video from 1984 too. I remember it well, and can name everyone in it…
Comments are closed, I don’t wish to get into a debate. This is MY Ranty Friday.
