Fuse ODG’s discussion of Band Aid raises a troubling paradox that sets head against heart, but it is not without precedent (My criticism of the Band Aid charity single caused a storm. Now let’s talk about the way forward for Africa, 3 December). One of the most successful humanitarian campaigns of all time employed an image that appealed to the heart, pricked religious sentiment and challenged moral consciences by depicting an enslaved, chained African, kneeling, hands clasped together and held aloft as if in prayer, asking “Am I not a Man and a Brother?” Josiah Wedgwood’s anti-slavery merchandising genius cemented into popular culture and seared into public consciousness this powerful image, with enormous success in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
No one should doubt the positive anti-slavery impact of Wedgwood’s medallions. Its words were compelling, its intention laudable, its image memorable. But neither should we deny – however benign its intentions – its contribution to popularising an image of the African as a grateful, submissive, eternal supplicant. Charitable sentiment is always sincere. The charitable “gaze” is often more complicated.
Paul McGilchrist
Cromer, Norfolk
