Solidarity – and the context – not Charity

JVL Introduction

Aid is important but prioritising raising funds by any legal means necessary can be dangerous, however well intentioned.  In this article the writer describes deep concerns at the way many aid organisations use images of suffering and misery to raise funds even when – as it usually is – the crisis is caused by political decisions, often with the involvement of our governments. The images deny the people any agency but it is not the lack of money that has caused the problems in Gaza but Israel’s relentless bombing campaign, with western arms and backing.  To present the problem without the political context may come to reduce the problem to a humanitarian crisis rather than focusing on addressing the political problem and the lack of justice. This may also account for Israel (and Trump’s) antipathy towards UNRWA, which may be unable to function from January 30th.

There is useful information about research on the consequences of Live Aid’s efforts that were ultimately not helpful for helping people even see the possibility of long term change as well as noting the double standards in the format of appeals for those fleeing war in Ukraine and those fleeing bombing in Gaza and other countries where the people are people of colour.

LL

This article was originally published by New Internationalist on Thu 16 Jan 2025. Read the original here.