The 40th anniversary relaunch of the Band Aid fundraising single “reinforces harmful stereotypes and colonial attitudes”, the NGO umbrella body Bond has warned.
Do They Know it’s Christmas, which features a host of the biggest names in UK pop music at the time, swept to the top of the charts in 1984 and raised more than £8m to support people affected by the famine in Ethiopia.
The song, which was written by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof, was rerecorded with different vocalists in 2004 and 2014.
A “supercut” version of the song, featuring lines taken from across the different recordings, is due to be released next week to mark its 40th anniversary.
The singer Ed Sheeran has already said he wished his contribution from the 2014 recording would not be included in the supercut because of fears it dehumanises and damages Africans.
Lena Bheeroo, head of anti-racism and equity at Bond, said: “Band Aid 40 reinforces harmful stereotypes that undermines the African continent and disempowers local communities.
“It risks undoing the progress made by the international development and humanitarian sector to shift power to local communities and address enduring injustices of colonialism and systemic racism.
“While there is still much to do to decolonise the sector, initiatives like Band Aid 40 perpetuate outdated narratives, reinforce racism and colonial attitudes that strip people of their dignity and agency.
“We encourage Band Aid 40 to rethink and reconsider the messages it is amplifying.”