EVERY African Must Share this&Say NO To BAND AID Ebola &Respect FUSE ODG for Ever!

Africa a beautiful continent suffering the damage done by BAND AID 30 years ago!

Every African who reads this article must share this article.It is your duty and your legacy to your future generations.Ever since the charity song Band Aid for Africa in 1984,the world has not looked at Africa the same.The song did more damage to Africa than good.People thought the whole of Africa was full of beggars and hungry people.

Fuse ODG,the popular and successful Ghanaian artist took a decision not to participate in the Band Aid song for Ebola in Africa that has just been released,despite being called by Bob Geldof personally,and a lot of people would have been in awe,had their head turned by the great Sir Bob Geldof himself calling and do the task.Fuse turned down Bob Geldoff saying the Africa portrayed in that song is not the Africa he knows.And he would not be able to live with himself if he goes ahead with it.We will get

on to FUSE Odg's full article in a minute or two,after i have unloaded what's on my chest.

Bob Geldof meant well,but helped create a terrible stereo type of Africa.
The worst thing that could ever happen to Africa was the BAND AID SONG,do they know it's Christmas in 1984.Don't get me wrong,the participants especially Bob Geldof meant well.But they destroyed a beautiful continent and made generations and generations ashamed to be Africans!When i saw Fuse's article in the Guardian newspaper,i called my cousin who runs the Queen of the Naija blog and siad i want to do this article.After explaining to her, she agreed with me,and here we are.

The famine of 1984 happened in Ethiopia,but Band Aid called it Africa.They showed people dying in fields,flies and all sorts covering them,those people looked like the worst thing that could ever be seen in humans.No clothes,under nourished and as skinny as hell.But this did not happen in all of Ethiopia,it happened in one part of Ethiopia,and also it was not Africa,it was a tiny part of Africa,a town in an African country called Ethiopia.

Bob Geldof meant well,but helped create a terrible stereo type of Africa.

Everybody saw that and thought it was the whole of Africa.Well i grew up in Africa,Nigeria to be precise and was in Nigeria at that time and we did not live like that.We had everything they had in the west and i remember when i came back to the UK, i found it so boring,the Tv for a start had old shows that we had watched in Nigeria ages ago.

Many other countries were like that in Africa,A different climate but very westernized all the same.We went to the movies,wore the latest fashion,had diverse music,went on dates,had amazing football teams ,pop stars..everything you could think of!

But that was never portrayed in the West,Band Aid made people think,we all lived on tress,had no food to eat and were all covered in flies.I have had so many people argue with me that Africa is a country! Can you imagine?But how can you blame them?After all when anything negative happens,they don't pinpoint the area,they just say Africa.

I don't hear people say he was European in the news.I hear them say German,English ,Italian etc,African does not get that pleasure.

Now to our kids and the damage Band Aid did to them.How would you feel as a little kid,if at school in Europe,all you see about Africa is,people dying,eaten by flies,charities begging for money in your name,people living in the bush with animals?Would you wanna say that is where i come from?NO of cos not.Kids are the most impressionable.We all know the teasing that goes on in schools.Many African kids after Band Aid grew up with a complex and lied about where they came from because of this.So many kids found Africa to be a bad word to use.Thank God for the Afro beats stars of today,they have given Africa its pride back.The kids see these Afro beats stars and see their videos thinking,these guys are Africans ,live in Africa and they are just like the Jay Z's and Ushers we see on Tv.Now they are proud to say i am African and from Ghana,Nigeria,Kenya or where ever.Imagine the damage FUSE ODG would have done if he had gone back to the BAND AID song for Ebola that has once again portrayed Africa bad? Ebola is rampant in 3 West African countries,Guinea,Sierra Leone and Liberia.How does that become the whole of Africa?

I saw the video of the band aid single for Ebola and it's disgusting,showing people dying with no dignity,it was terrible.

Ebola can kill anywhere,its a disease,just like we have other diseases,lyrics like ,"There's no world outside your window,and it's a world of dread and fear" is not the Africa or Nigeria i know and grew up in,and yes we know its christmas time and always knew it was christmas time,even in the western world some people are depressed and sad at christmas.The new Ebola song had lyrics such as  “Where a kiss of love can kill you and there’s death in every tear”, and “There is no peace and joy in west Africa this Christmas”. Absolutely terrible,a lot of people are trying to raise funds so they can go home to SAfrica in their various countries to spend Christmas,yet the west and charity song portrays it as the last place you want to be,all because there was famine in one country and Ebola in three countries.

When was the last time you were watching tv and saw a country in Africa,where people or kids where in beautiful surroundings?Where University students were driving their own cars?Where kids were going to a movie on dates?Where hard working families were at a beautiful dining table eating with their families?You don't see it,it never happens.The west don't want you to see that.

You watch daytime tv,and you see them show charity for dogs and abused animals,then the next thing kids in a part of Africa come up..that's how we have been portrayed,and it is never said ,this is a small town in such and such country,it is always AFRICA!

I will for ever respect FUSE ODG for this stance he took,iwas amazed by the interview and how he made his points,better than a politician could.Someone like Seal,who i loved as an artist,featured in Band Aid Ebola,he should have known better,he lived in Nigeria,he is NIGERIAN,HE SHOULD BE THE ONE DOING WHAT Fuse Odg has done.

Thank you Fuse and yes,you are right,this is TINA-This Is New Africa!

My name is Harri Best.

Now see below Fuse Odg's reason why he turned down Bob Geldof's invite to appear in Band Aid for Africa..PLS READ THIS article,its a game changer!

Saying no to Bob Geldof is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make this year. However, seeing what looked like the corpse of an African woman being carried out of her home on primetime TV when the video was premiered on X Factor crystallised my concerns about this strategy to combat the Ebola crisis. For me it is ultimately flawed.

A week before the recording of Band Aid 30, I received a call from Geldof asking if I would take part. I was honoured to be asked and, connecting with his passion for wanting to tackle the Ebola crisis, said I wanted to offer my support.

But I also had my concerns. I was sceptical because of the lyrics and the videos of the previous charity singles, and I worried that this would play into the constant negative portrayal of the continent of Africa in the west. Geldof and I spoke at length about this and he agreed with me on many levels, assuring me that we could use it as an opportunity to showcase the positives of Africa.

However, on receiving the proposed lyrics on Thursday – two days before the recording was due to take place in London – I was shocked and appalled by their content. The message of the Band Aid 30 song absolutely did not reflect what Africa is truly about and I started to question whether this was something I wanted to be a part of.

I pointed out to Geldof the lyrics I did not agree with, such as the lines “Where a kiss of love can kill you and there’s death in every tear”, and “There is no peace and joy in west Africa this Christmas”. For the past four years I have gone to Ghana at Christmas for the sole purpose of peace and joy. So for me to sing these lyrics would simply be a lie.

This is the New Africa-TINA-Fuse Odg,you better believe it!

In truth, my objection to the project goes beyond the offensive lyrics. I, like many others, am sick of the whole concept of Africa – a resource-rich continent with unbridled potential – always being seen as diseased, infested and poverty-stricken. In fact, seven out of 10 of the world’s fastest growing economies are in Africa.

Let me be clear, I’m not disregarding the fact that Ebola is happening and that people need help. Since the start of the outbreak in March it has killed more than 5,000 people. But every human being deserves dignity in their suffering and the images flashed on our screens remove any remnants of this from Ebola sufferers, many in their dying moments, when they should have it the most.

I am not disputing Band Aid’s good intentions. But the shock-factor strategy they have used since the 1980s has sparked a whole wave of “good cause” organisations that have been irresponsible with regard to the images shown to the rest of the world. It’s been totally one-sided. That’s understandable in part, as they wouldn’t raise much money if they showed the affluence, wealth, and happy lifestyles that exist in the continent. But in the process of doing all this “good work” a huge imbalance has been created.

That image of poverty and famine is extremely powerful psychologically. With decades of such imagery being pumped out, the average westerner is likely to donate £2 a month or buy a charity single that gives them a nice warm fuzzy feeling; but they are much less likely to want to go on holiday to, or invest in, Africa. If you are reading this and haven’t been to Africa, ask yourself why.

This is New Africa (Tina) is a movement empowering people to shed a positive light on Africa. I was born in Tooting, south London, and was taken as an infant to Ghana. Returning to London at the age of 11, being African was not something to be proud of because of all the negative connotations it conjured up, and it drove me to be almost ashamed of who I was.

Anyone who has experienced Africa in a positive way is a citizen of the New Africa and needs to play their part in challenging perceptions. I’m sharing my experience through my music – and if I can make chart-topping music that celebrates Africa then surely Band Aid and its extensive network can do the same. I’ve performed in two of the three countries currently hit by the Ebola crisis, where I have friends and loyal fans, and will be donating the proceeds from my next single to help tackle this issue.

I hope from the bottom of my heart that the disease can be eradicated in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. But though shock tactics and negative images may raise money in the short term, the long-term damage will take far longer to heal.

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Harri Best,Fuse ODG & The Gaurdian contributed to this story.