David Lammy is wrong about white saviours and Comic Relief

Comic Relief have reported an £8 million plunge in year-on-year donations following the recent row ignited by Labour MP David Lammy accusing the charity of propagating the ‘white saviour’ complex. To be clear, there is no hard evidence proving the shortfall a direct fallout from Mr Lammy’s critique.

It is, however, hardly conceivable the negative emotions ignited by his ‘white saviour’ accusations would have no impact on the public’s willingness to continue funding the charity. As someone born and raised in Nigeria, I feel compelled to address Mr Lammy’s comments about Africa and the ‘white saviour’ complex, pointing out why I consider his approach wrong and counter-productive.

First off, I know Mr Lammy is right when he says many black Britons are ‘deeply uncomfortable’ with images of African poverty beamed around the globe by western charities like Comic Relief. I have felt uncomfortable with such images myself. I’ve irritatedly changed the channel or deliberately looked away from giant billboards displaying desperate-looking African children.