Fuse ODG has released a music video for his song “We Know It’s Christmas”, responding to the Band Aid 40 remake of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. This comes following the controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran’s comments for his vocals featuring on the Band Aid single. Sheeran recently revealed that Fuse ODG educated him on the single’s impact on the view of Africa and African people.
Fuse ODG, real name Nana Richard Abiona is a Ghanaian-English rapper born and based in London. The 36-year-old has been active since 2012 making music influenced by Afro-beats, reggae, dance and hip hop. His name ‘Fuse’ is said to come from his combination of genres while ‘ODG’ stands for ‘Off Da Ground’. In 2013, his song “Antenna” became his first top ten hit, reaching number 7. His song “Dangerous Love” also reached number 3 in 2014. He is well known as a voice for African people, being of African descent himself. In 2022, he launched an educational gaming app for children called “School of New Africa” to educate others on African history and languages, as well as financial literacy.
Talking about why he refused the offer to participate in Band Aid, Fuse ODG said, “I refused to participate in Band Aid because I recognised the harm initiatives like it inflict on Africa… While they may generate sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment, ultimately costing the continent trillions and destroying its dignity, pride and identity.” It’s this view that Fuse ODG explained to Ed Sheeran, and since their comments went public, it has educated several on the other side of the story. This song and music video is a direct response to the Band Aid single, titled “We Know It’s Christmas (Band Aid Reply)”, following Bob Geldof’s recent comments welcoming the debate. Geldof welcomed the debate concerning the Band Aid single, saying it’s fantastic, alluding to the fact that the more people talk about it the more awareness it brings – meaning the single will ultimately be listened to more.
In an interview, Fuse ODG has made it clear that the original Band Aid was “touching” and well-intentioned, saying “It’s been touching seeing the efforts that were put into it initially […] because there was a crisis at the time they needed attending to”. But went on to say the subsequent Band Aid singles has created an identity crisis for Africans, saying that “It took away our collective sense of pride and identity.”
During an interview on Radio 2, co-founder of Band Aid, Midge Ure, said that this sort of opposition has been thrown at them many times over the past forty years and he understands the aspect of the “white saviour complex” that the charitable work poses. He ultimately concluded that regardless of the debate, the work is still helping those in Africa who need medicines and education. Others like Tony Hadley, who sang on the original Band Aid single, have been more pointed in the criticism of the single, saying “Everybody’s doing their bit to try and support various charities and we were doing our bit, innocently, to support what was happening in Ethiopia… So what do we do? Do we sit back and do nothing?”.
It’s true to say that the criticism and debate has brought more attention to the Band Aid remake, as well as the charitable history of the organisation. However, Fuse ODG is a recognised voice for Africans and his voice cannot be ignored. It’s important, and always has been, to listen to the voice of the people the issues directly concern – “We Know It’s Christmas” is one way in which the African voice can be represented.
