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This week, Sir Bob Geldof waded in to the international Ebola crsis, releasing a revamp of his classic “Band Aid” Christmas single aimed at securing donations to combat the disease. Such charity singles can raise huge amounts of money in a short space of time, but they inevitably cause controversy, particularly among those who resent complicated situations being reduced to three minutes of sugary pop.

Double Edged Sword

It is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, charity song campaigns can work in terms of using celebrity clout to raise a lot of awareness (and money) in a short period of time. But on the other hand it creates unintended consequences. In the case of Band Aid, we in Africa are still suffering from the over-simplified single story that the original Band Aid [single] created for the continent. There is a continued infantilisation of the continent, and people think that whatever problem arises in Africa they have an absolute right to fix it. It might be different if the songs were focused on pressurising African institutions to fix these problems, but the attention goes to international organisations and celebrities. TMS Ruge, development consultant

Hollow and outmoded

Not any more. The heyday of pop philanthropy—which stretched roughly from Band Aid’s first appearance in 1984, to a woeful second attempt in 1989—depended on a world in which 1) people were open to being told what to do by pop stars; and 2) the popular understanding of geopolitics was simple enough to fit the “Let’s help all those poor folks in Africa” paradigm. Now, popular irreverence and greater awareness of the huge issues involved give the charity single a hollow, outmoded feel. They raise a pittance; they tend to deal in woeful stereotypes; whatever pop is for, it surely should have little to do with piety. John Harris, Guardian columnist and pop critic

Standing out

Releasing a single to raise money for charity will not, in itself, guarantee success.  However, the experience of the Military Wives Choirs is that charity singles can be hugely successful if the conditions for release are right.  In becoming the Christmas Number 1 in 2011, “Wherever You Are” raised more than half a million pounds for Armed Forces charities—a phenomenal achievement for an amateur choir.  The success illustrated how charity singles can help organisations to achieve stand out in a noisy Third Sector market place.  By providing something in return, they also incentivise people to give to that cause. Athol Hendry, Military Wives Choirs Foundation

African actions

It depends on who we are talking about. The Band Aid single is a wild success if considering sales, buzz and money raised to respond to the Ebola crisis. It is a success in reinvigorating the discussion about the role of international community in supporting the efforts to end Ebola. The song and accompanying video succeed in perpetuating an outdated view of Africa where people sit and wait for a western savior to rescue them from their problems. That helps erase the actions undertaken by West Africans to deal with Ebola. It is Guineans, Sierra Leoneans and Liberians that were the first responders and will be the ones who turn things around. What they need is partnership and support, not another song featuring UK artists that tells them that the clanging bells are the "chimes of doom." The song fails to even consider that possibility. Tom Murphy, Co-Founder of The Development and Aid World News Service

This week's Big Question is edited by Josh Lowe