President Gupta Accepts Racist Christmas Challenge

Every year at Christmas, a bunch of celebrities get together to ponder whether or not the predominantly Christian continent of Africa is aware that it is the annual celebration of Christ’s birth*. More accurately, they get together to question whether their stereotypical Africa – the hopeless, starving, disease-ridden continent of uneducated people suffering from malaria, AIDS and most recently, Ebola, know that is, and has been since late October, the Coca-Cola season of consumerism, decadence, and capitalist dreams.

UBC President Arvind Gupta recently accepted Bob Geldof’s challenge to help fight Ebola with BandAid30. While the challenge of eradicating Ebola may be a hard one, eradicating negative stereotypes about Africa seems even more difficult. Gupta donated around $18 to the overall $1.5 million raised for the Africa-saving initiative; he also bought into possibly the single most out-dated, offensive and racist song of 2014 (which is a tall order after Iggy Azalea and Katy Perry’s contributions).

Either this group of incredibly disappointing celebrities (we bet you can find at least one of your faves among them) genuinely believe that the 54 countries of Africa are a “world of dread and fear”* where the Christmas bells clang “chimes of doom”, or they are ridden with the worst and most destructive disease of all: the white saviour complex. Just like Leigh Anne “I Adopted a Black Kid So I’m Not Racist” Tuohy, who recently accosted two black teenagers who were behaving “suspiciously” (aka being black in public) and then posted a photo on social media proclaiming her own heroism, white people feel the need to step in for, speak over, police, “protect”, correct and “save” black people and other non-whites.

This complex is most prevalent when white girls visit Africa, participate in voluntourism, return with profile pictures in which they are donning local beaded necklaces, surrounded by adoring little black orphans and wait for comments from their equally narrow-minded friends to shower them in glory. “You’ve changed those children’s lives”, “They love you”, “You’re amazing, Becky, so selfless!” But helping poor people in Africa is a good thing, right? Wrong, or at least in this way. At best, with language barriers, lack of relevant skills and no knowledge of local geography or practises, voluntourists are pretty much useless to local people. At worst, they reproduce negative stereotypes about Africa, assert Western/white dominance, replace local workers, create unsustainable power relations, and perpetuate racist narratives.

Okay, sure, maybe you agree that dehumanising Africans through charity appeals and decades-old tired and banal caricatural stereotypes is pretty terrible. And perhaps, if you’ve thought about it, you’ve also noticed how racist and degrading the lyrics are. But it’s not so bad if the money the song raises is actually going to ‘help end Ebola’, right? Again, wrong. It’s not even clear what groups the $1.5 million raised thus far are going to. BandAid30’s website says that money “will be donated to the intervention and prevention of the spread of Ebola” but specifies nothing beyond this. On top of this, how can we trust that any cures or vaccines will reach people in West Africa? The handful of people who have been cured after contracting Ebola have been American or European, which alludes to the fact that money supposedly going to Ebola research may not be reaching the poor, hopeless orphans of Liberia the BandAid song trills on about.

We’re not saying this is KONY 2012, but come on, it’d be nice if white saviours took a break every now and then from their benevolent racism. And it’s not even like singing about Ebola is a striking new idea. Some African musicians had already done it before and did a much better job, because you know, there isn’t that whole racist, neocolonial helping imperative element to it. As for ending the spread of this disease in the three west African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia — yeah, not all of Africa) where it’s emerged? Pretty sure they can do without most Western interventions, as the prevention of it by a rad group of local healthcare workers in Nigeria demonstrates.

Trust us, we’re not the only ones grimacing about this latest ploy of the “let’s save Africa” brigade; there are others ranting about it here, here, here and here.

So we ask the hard-hitting question: Did President Gupta really think that singing off-key would make us forget about his recent decision to increase student fees?

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*Full lyrics:

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

[One Direction:]

It’s Christmas time, there’s no need to be afraid

[Ed Sheeran:]

At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade

[Rita Ora:]

And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy

[Sam Smith:]

Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time

[Paloma Faith:]

But say a prayer and pray for the other ones

[Emeli Sandé:]

At Christmas time it’s hard but while you’re having fun

[Guy Garvey:]

There’s a world outside your window and it’s a world of dread and fear

[Dan Smith:]

Where a kiss of love can kill you

[Angelique Kidjo:]

Where there’s death in every tear

[Chris Martin:]

And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom

[Bono:]

Well, tonight we’re reaching out and touching you

[Seal:]

Bring peace and joy this Christmas to West Africa

[Ellie Goulding:]

A song of hope where there’s no hope tonight

[Sinéad O’Connor:]

Why is comfort to be feared, why is to touch to be scared?

[Bono:]

How can they know it’s Christmas time at all?

[One Direction:]

Here’s to you

[Olly Murs:]

Raise a glass to everyone

[Bastille:]

Here’s to them

[Sam Smith:]

And all there is to come

[Rita Ora:]

Can they know it’s Christmas time at all?

[All:]

Heal the world