BAND AID

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Representation, Not Exploitation Popular culture is often used to generate publicity and resources for a variety of humanitarian crisis. In the instance of BAND-AID, a song and music video was created with well-known British artists to raise awareness for the famine that was occurring in Ethiopia. BAND AID represents an example of intentional development, specifically interventionism. This theory emphasizes the perceived need for deliberate policy and development alongside capitalism in order to achieve economic and social progress (Thomas 3-4). This form of development creates a framework for justifying efforts like BAND AID because they are rooted in the capitalistic tendencies that encourage the use of publicity and fame to gain power, resources, …show more content…

This perceived unity represents the ability of promotions like BAND AID to simultaneously encourage and narrow the scope of equality. If equality is being measured based on promoting justice, then BAND AID could be seen as encouraging equality, since it is raising awareness for an important issue and helping to “feed the world” (Lummis 38; Do They Know It’s Christmas). However, if equality is measured based on the presence of equitable relationships and homogeneity, then BAND AID would be considered to be narrowing the scope of equality, since many lyrics in the song alienate African culture and are used as an avenue to promote western ideals (Lummis 38; Do They Know It’s Christmas). This is seen in the title of the song itself, which suggests that Africans’ lack the knowledge on what Christmas, a Western tradition, represents (Do They Know It’s Christmas). The way in which this relief effort simplifies African culture is an example of how interventionism often puts an emphasis on western beliefs, since this form of development gauges the value of a project on its capitalistic worth (Thomas

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