(Photo anonymous author . Actually manipulated photo of a snowless African pyramids)

Do They Know It's Christmas Time - Theme Song Reveals a Prejudice of Africa in Music

Now this song displays prejudice of Africa, as a place of mostly deserts and poverty. Is this an accurate picture of Africa?

The most southern point in Africa is at 34°49'58″ South. It reaches further North of the equator than it does South of the equator. I'd guess most people reading this didn't know that. I didn't know that! The most northern point is Ras ben Sakka, Tunisia, at 37° 20' 17.3 North.

Song Lyrics

Although the beginning of the song could be talking about people living in the city across the tracks, by the middle of the song, we start to hear some disparaging thoughts about Africa.

Sweet Beginnings

But Say A Prayer For The Other Ones

Okay, that's good. Let's do that. Let us say a prayer for those in Australia.

There is a world outside your window
And It's The World of Debt and Fear

They're talking about the Fiat world. Engineered high time preference with high inflation. Those who go into debt are often rewarded better than those who save. This is what happens in countries with high money creation. You have to spend your currency as quickly as possible. Things will go up in prices, do your grocery shopping as soon as you're paid. Stock up in goods. Get rid of liquidity, for it looses value quickly. Even for buying a house, you are better going into debt, and then riding the inflation wave until the rules of the game suddenly change like in 2008 and a lot of people are thrown out of their newly bought homes at a great loss.

Now It Becomes an African Song

"Here's To Them Underneath that Burning Sun"

Can we take a pause and just say that the entire world share the same sun. Sometimes people tend to forget that. Even though this is obvious, we have phrases like "under the African sun", as if the sun is somehow different over there. Yeah, near the equator you get more equality in terms of daylight hours in the winter and summer, but the sun is the same.... ​

African Weather

​> And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time

The greatest gift they'll get this year is life (oh)
Where nothing ever grows, no rain nor rivers flow
Do they know it's Christmas time at all? (oh)

No Snow For Christmas?

"No Snow in Africa?" Ah "poor" Africans. Wait, you know it is unlikely to snow in California, right? This is also true of Australia and New Zealand? The overall tone of the song, seems to cast this as a sad thing. You could also say poor Europeans who will not swim outdoors during Christmas. It may make sense to do so in the Southern hemisphere or near the equator but it just doesn't in Europe. It doesn't make sense for a continent centered around the equator to have snow reliably in December.

Nothing Ever Grows?

​According to this report, Africa on a whole produces enough food that it exported 18 billion USD of it (as of 2007). Although it does import more food than it does export, does this sound like an entire continent where nothing grows? Ridiculous. The food trade imbalance could be due to luxury foods creating a big trade imbalance because luxury food can be many times more expensive than healthy staples. For a continent where nothing grows, look at Antartica.

No Rain and No Rivers?

There must be hundreds of rivers. Here are twelve major ones: https://storyteller.travel/rivers-in-africa/

The Greatest Gift They'll Get This Year Is Life

The idea is life is not a given there. Yet, isn't it true for us all? When you look at the gifts you got yesterday, they only have use for you while you are alive. That's the nugget of truth from this song.

There are several Africans on #ProofofBrain. I would especially like to hear comments from them.