As the 2024 Ultimate Mix of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? has been announced by the song’s producers, it has been criticized for its outdated portrayal of Africa. The song will be released on the 25th of November, marking its 40th anniversary.
The lyrics were originally written in 1984 to raise funds for the famine happening in Ethiopia, but haven’t been changed since. Band Aid creator Bob Geldof has responded to the criticism concerning the charity song.
In an interview, Alexander Carpenter, a music critic, musicologist and professor at the University of Alberta, shares his opinion on the topic.