WHAT: Do They Know it’s Christmas? The Question of Global Poverty
WHEN: Friday, December 13, 7-8:30pm
WHERE: Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, 421 Cawston Ave.
Every year at this time, the 1985 Band Aid fundraising song, “Do They Know it’s Christmas,” returns to the airwaves, despite the nearly 20 years of criticism of the initiatives simplistic representation of the Ethiopian famine, and the insensitivity, if not racism, of the song’s lyrics.
The next Alterknowledge Discussion Series, which will be held on Dec. 13 will be facilitated by David Jefferess. This discussion will explore the way global poverty and inequality are represented, the politics of development aid and the charity model (especially at this time of year), and how we might seek different answers to the problems of suffering, oppression, and injustice. This discussion will also respond to screenings of the 2012 spoof fundraising song, “Africa for Norway,” as well as other short videos on the representation of poverty and development aid.
The AlterKnowledge discussion series brings together faculty and/or students affiliated with the Cultural Studies Program at UBC’s Okanagan campus and members of the Kelowna community to foster discussions about topics related to Culture, Power, and Identity. The series is organized by Allison Hargreaves and David Jefferess, and is held at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, downtown Kelowna in the RCA, 421 Cawston Ave.
For more information on the Alterknowledge Discussion series, visit our web site www.ubc.ca/okanagan/fccs/news-events/ongoing/alterknowledge.html