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.
