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Irish Examiner
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Live Aid's message of empathy and action should inspire renewed solidarity today
Michael Buerk's iconic BBC report from Ethiopia in 1984 was not the first to raise the famine alarm bell. Brothers Kevin and Mike Doheny from Ballinalacken, Co Laois, who worked with Concern in Ethiopia had been pleading with broadcasters to film the unfolding catastrophe. While the main networks including the BBC deemed it unsafe to send a crew, the Doheny's persuaded an independent cameraman, Paul Harrison, to travel to Ethiopia in July 1984. Later, back in London, when Harrison was transferring the film to tape at Visnews, the horrific famine footage was seen by a journalist from ITN. It was shown that night on their bulletins with a caption asking for donations to be sent to Concern in Dublin and was later picked up by French, Irish, Canadian and Australian media. It wasn't until October that year that Michael Buerk went to Ethiopia, and while he was not the first reporter to cover the crisis, his broadcast, with harrowing images shot by Kenyan cameraman Mohammed Amin, produced one of the most powerful television reports of the late 20th century. Bob Geldof saw the reports and decided that something, anything, had to be done. Band Aid was born, culminating in eight Live Aid concerts that raised £150 million, (equivalent of £490 million today) for famine relief and development in Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa. The full impact of Live Aid on famine relief has always generated debate but, without question, it not only raised desperately needed funds (Concern alone received £11 million for food supplies for both Ethiopia and Sudan that saved thousands of lives), it also raised an extraordinary level of public awareness, sparking a global movement that led to increased aid spending and policy changes. As Geldof put it: We took an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda and…. were able to address the intellectual absurdity and the moral repulsion of people dying of want in a world of surpluses. Bono, having performed with U2 at Live Aid in London, travelled with his wife, Ali Hewson, to Ethiopia at the end of 1985 where they visited the Concern team in Wollo, the epicentre of the famine. Geldof and Bono, true Irish humanitarian activists, clearly attuned to Ireland's own deeply troubled history of famine, embarked on a lifetime journey that took them from charity fundraising to tackling the deeper structural causes of poverty. 40 years on from the momentous Live Aid concerts, while the narrative and conversations around humanitarian work have changed to be more inclusive and representative, the commitments to end global poverty and hunger have weakened. We have more data, technology and better resources but in a world that is more dangerous, more brutalized, with hunger and starvation on the rise, empathy and action is in short supply. Gaza, Haiti, Yemen, South Sudan and many more contexts are already in what is called "catastrophic food insecurity", one step away from starvation. Sudan, now more than two years into a horrific war has become the world's largest hunger crisis. Famine has been declared in north Darfur and is threatened in 13 other parts of the country. Twenty years ago, when I worked in Darfur, I saw how the horror of conflict and suffering shocked the world and yet when I returned last year, a new generation of Sudanese were reliving the same hell; except, this time, the world is failing to pay adequate attention or provide sufficient resources. Across the globe, humanitarian needs are rising as resources are diminishing. Apart from a handful of donors, including Irish Aid, which have stayed the course, funding levels for humanitarian and development work, already in decline, hit a new crisis level this year. The magnitude and suddenness of funding cuts from major donors means that, at best, 114 million people, 38% of the total number of people in need of humanitarian assistance globally (299.7 million) will be assisted this year, and then only if the $29 billion required to assist them is immediately forthcoming. And this is the problem - as of June 30, just $5.96 billion has been received. In contrast, global military expenditure reached a record high of $2.718 trillion last year, and this figure is set to be surpassed this year. Seventy years on from his 'Chance for Peace" speech, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower's words ring ever more true: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed'. Across the world, humanitarian actors and civil society are working relentlessly to respond to the escalating needs of conflict-affected populations. However, the lifeline that is humanitarian assistance can only be stretched and cut back so far. It is already at breaking point. If this trend of underfunding for humanitarian crises continues, millions of people in dire, life-threatening circumstances cannot and will not be reached with food, water, shelter, and protection. Many of them will die. It is that simple, that brutal, and totally preventable. Political self-interest We are failing, not just on resource mobilisation, but also at a political level. Human suffering is repeatedly sidelined by political self-interest. World leaders failed to agree an adequate climate finance deal at COP29 to help those countries that suffer the greatest impact of climate change. The UN Security Council has consistently failed in its mandate to maintain peace and security, refusing to call for immediate ceasefires, the protection of civilians, and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid in places such as Gaza and Sudan. The horrific images from Michael Buerk's report which shocked the word into action 40 years ago continue to be played out on our TVs and social media which pound us with even more disturbing images spurring public outrage and demands for political action. Yet with all our digital technology, reporting is highly selective. Little attention is given to the millions of people who struggle in the crises such as those in Sudan, and so many other parts of the world where there are still children dying in their mothers' arms, there are still people desperate for grains of wheat in the sand. They remain out of sight, out of mind, and marginalised from public and political attention. Live Aid broke the deafening silence around famine in Ethiopia. The enduring power of its message of empathy and action should inspire renewed calls for global solidarity in the face of ongoing challenges. We all have a role to play and as the UN turns 80 this year, we must urge member states to put empathy and action at the heart of every decision, and live up to its claim to be the one place on Earth where all the world's nations can gather together, discuss common problems, and find shared solutions that benefit ALL of humanity. Dominic MacSorley is Humanitarian Ambassador for the Irish humanitarian organisation, Concern Worldwide. For more details of Concern's work visit
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Veteran broadcaster Michael Buerk slams 'white saviour' criticism of Live Aid: 'If you're dying of starvation, you're not really that concerned about the colour of the person saving you'
Michael Buerk hit out at 'white saviour' criticism of the Live Aid concerts yesterday, branding the controversy 'obscene'. The veteran broadcaster – whose heart-rending reports on the Ethiopian famine in 1984 led to musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organising the event – rejected accusations that the West was being 'paternalistic'. It came as the global charity fundraiser marked its 40th anniversary yesterday. The BBC presenter told Radio 4's Broadcasting House current affairs programme: 'If you were one of the women picking through donkey dung trying to find undigested seeds or one of the children whose eyes were rotting through vitamin deficiency, if you were a guy... have you seen somebody dying from starvation? The body eats itself from inside. 'If you're one of those people... you're not really that concerned about whether your saviour is white or black and I think The Guardian thinks we're being paternalistic. 'It's rather obscene that people should go around talking about white saviours. Any saviour in that context is very welcome indeed.' The veteran broadcaster – whose heart-rending reports on the Ethiopian famine in 1984 led to musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organising the event – rejected accusations that the West was being 'paternalistic' The 79-year-old, who now presents Radio 4's Moral Maze, added he thought the wave of compassion generated by his reports, on the then BBC Ten O'Clock News, was no longer possible to achieve today. 'There were ten million audiences for the main evening news and fewer distractions. People weren't on their phones all the time. 'I think we live in a more selfish, more cynical and more stupid world.' Buerk admitted he had misgivings when he 'first heard what Geldof was up to'. 'I thought what are these prancing stars, for goodness' sake? But now I take the opposite view about Geldof and what happened then.' Live Aid, which was seen by about 1.5billion people in more than 150 countries, helped in raising around £150 million for famine relief. But since then some have questioned the symbolism of white people in the West coming to the rescue of a helpless and impoverished Africa. Mail photographer Murray Sanders' incredible unseen photographs of Live Aid are featured in a new book, Live Aid Relived. Order a copy at
Irish Times
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The unsung Irishman behind Live Aid. Not Bono, not Bob, but Paddy
Those who watched Michael Buerk's report on BBC television news on October 23rd 1984, can rarely have heard such a devastating piece of journalistic reportage: 'Dawn, and as the sun breaks through the piercing chill of night, it lights up a biblical famine, now, in the 20th century. This place, say workers here, is the closest thing to hell on Earth.' That place was a remote part of northern Ethiopia and the powerful opening sentences were accompanied by harrowing images of starving and crying children. The seven-minute report was subsequently shown by 425 TV stations worldwide, bringing the crisis to global attention. In the four months after the report was broadcast Oxfam alone received a total of £12.5 million in donations. READ MORE The emotional expression of Buerk's words have gone down in the annals of broadcast journalism. His report brought about the setting up of Band Aid and Live Aid, both of which have been a catalyst for raising millions for famine relief. The story of the musicians coming together is well documented, but not many are aware that Buerk was briefed by a Co Down man, Paddy Coulter, who at the time was on a visit to Oxfam programmes in South Africa. As the charity's head of communication, he took the opportunity to contact the reporter. He advised him on the drought that threatened to cause a catastrophic famine in Ethiopia, and facilitated his trip to the country. John Hobson Coulter, who was born in 1946, grew up in Ballynahinch in mid-Down, the son of Eileen, a teacher, and Percival, a cattle dealer and butcher. He was the elder of twins and educated at Methodist College, Belfast. In 1964 he went to Oxford to read classics at Queen's College, and like countless Irishmen before him who have settled in England, became known as 'Paddy'. The Band Aid charity song, Do They Know It's Christmas?, was released in December 1984, entering the UK singles chart at number one remaining there for five weeks becoming the Christmas number one. Bob Geldof, who had been moved by Buerk's television report, and Ultravox's Midge Ure joined with some of the best-known performers to record the song which continued to resonate for decades. The record led to the build-up 40 years ago to two simultaneous benefit concerts on July 13th, 1985 at Wembley Stadium and at the John F. Kennedy stadium in Philadelphia as part of a marathon transatlantic telethon. The stellar line-up of musicians in London included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, David Bowie, Sting, Sade, and Queen, while The Who reformed for the event. In Ireland some banks opened their branches specially for the occasion to allow people to pledge money while RTÉ covered the Live Aid show by involving television and radio personalities as well as others in the public eye. Geldof is on record as saying that he was particularly proud of the Irish donations and the country's generous response. By 11pm on the night of the concert, more than £1 million had been raised in Ireland alone, surpassing all expectations. The BBC has now made three hour-long documentaries about Band Aid, Live Aid, and its successor, Live 8 in 2005 which challenged leaders of the world's richest countries to address poverty in Africa. A jukebox musical, Just for One Day, is running at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, retelling from a modern-day perspective how the story evolved. A percentage of all ticket sales is being donated to the Band Aid Charitable Trust. As for Paddy Coulter, he became director of the International Broadcasting Trust in London where he lobbied news organisations on a variety of issues. He produced more than 100 programmes on development and the environment, winning a United Nations Correspondents Association gold award in 1996 for a TV series Under the Blue Flag. He also served as chairman of the international press freedom organisation Article 19. From 2001 to 2007 Coulter was the Director of Studies for the Reuters Institute journalism programme based at Green Templeton College, Oxford. He mentored mid-career journalists from all over the world, helping inspire, reshape and transform their lives, and was noted for his insight and passion. An accomplished journalist, he stimulated interest in the reporting of many events, including human rights causes and was a force for life with friends and connections in many countries. He died last November with warm tributes in obituaries paid to his tireless work and achievements. Although Coulter never claimed the credit for Live Aid, he was instrumental in triggering the process that paved the way for it. He had an appetite for activism and his passionate role in speaking to journalists helped raise awareness of impoverishment, inequality and injustice in many countries. Had he not contacted Michael Buerk to convince him of the crucial need to report on the Ethiopian famine, the attention of the world may have been focused elsewhere, and what was dubbed as 'the greatest show on Earth' might never have happened.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Veteran broadcaster says first reaction to Live Aid was ‘real anger'
Veteran journalist Michael Buerk, who reported on the Ethiopian famine in 1984, revealed his initial reaction to the Live Aid concerts, which raised funds for the crisis, 'was real anger'. The iconic event, organised by musicians Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, is marking its 40th anniversary this year. Held at London's Wembley Stadium and John F Kennedy Stadium in the US, the concerts raised millions of pounds, but also faced criticism for its portrayal of Africa, with Geldof rejecting the idea that he is a 'white saviour' due to his charity work. Buerk, 79, a veteran broadcaster and former presenter on the BBC's Ten O'Clock News, now known as BBC News At Ten, was instrumental in bringing the shocking plight of famine-hit Ethiopia to the world in 1984 with his reports. 'My first reaction (to Live Aid) was real anger that I thought superficial, grandstanding pop singers were riding on the back of these people whom I felt very protective of,' he told Greatest Hits Radio. 'I didn't watch it and in fact on the afternoon of Live Aid I was in a black township just to the east of Johannesburg being tear gassed… also of course South Africa was one of the very, very few countries that didn't show it.' Speaking about the famine in Ethiopia, he added: 'I'd never seen anything like this, there was a lot of drought and a lot of hunger in South Africa in the 1980s (but) what we hadn't seen was famine, death at that kind of scale before… 'I was very concerned when I got back to Nairobi about how to tell the story because I was there I was not just seeing it and hearing it but smelling it; and I wondered what the reaction would be for people who would be sitting and watching it in the comfort of their own homes, cup of tea, glass of beer or something and it's just on in two dimensions in the corner of the living room.' Asked how he feels about Live Aid now, he said: 'I think it was extraordinary really, I think Geldof, the personality, the intelligence, the focus, the foul-mouthedness; just an extraordinary person. It was a moment in time, wasn't it?' Greatest Hits Radio is recreating the 1985 Live Aid broadcast in its entirety in a 10-hour special, hosted by Simon Mayo, featuring all of the original live performances from the likes of David Bowie, The Who and Sir Paul McCartney. Listen to Live Aid Relived from midday Sunday on Greatest Hits Radio.
The Herald Scotland
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Ex-BBC correspondent in Africa says first reaction to Live Aid was ‘real anger'
The concerts raised millions of pounds, but some have criticised its portrayal of Africa, with Geldof rejecting the idea that he is a 'white saviour' due to his charity work. Michael Buerk arrives for the press night of Just For One Day, the Live Aid musical at The Old Vic Theatre in London (James Manning/PA) Veteran broadcaster Buerk, 79, who was a presenter on the BBC's Ten O'Clock News, now known as BBC News At Ten, brought the shocking plight of famine-hit Ethiopia to the world in 1984 with his heart-rending reports. Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, he said: 'My first reaction (to Live Aid) was real anger that I thought superficial, grandstanding pop singers were riding on the back of these people who I felt very protective of. 'I didn't watch it and in fact on the afternoon of Live Aid I was in a black township just to the east of Johannesburg being tear gassed… also of course South Africa was one of the very, very few countries that didn't show it.' Speaking about the famine in Ethiopia, he added: 'I'd never seen anything like this, there was a lot of drought and a lot of hunger in South Africa in the 1980s (but) what we hadn't seen was famine, death at that kind of scale before… Freddie Mercury, of the rock-pop band Queen, performing on stage during the Live Aid concert (PA) 'I was very concerned when I got back to Nairobi about how to tell the story because I was there I was not just seeing it and hearing it but smelling it; and I wondered what the reaction would be for people who would be sitting and watching it in the comfort of their own homes, cup of tea, glass of beer or something and it's just on in two dimensions in the corner of the living room.' Asked how he feels about Live Aid now he said: 'I think it was extraordinary really, I think Geldof, the personality, the intelligence, the focus the foul-mouthedness; just an extraordinary person. It was a moment in time, wasn't it?' Greatest Hits Radio is recreating the 1985 Live Aid broadcast in its entirety in a 10-hour special, hosted by Simon Mayo, featuring all of the original live performances from the likes of David Bowie, The Who and Sir Paul McCartney. Listen to Live Aid Relived from midday Sunday on Greatest Hits Radio.
