I don't mean to degrade what the artists where trying to do back then, but I have "Do They Know It's Christmas?" on 12in, and a certain line have always bugged me, I know what they meant and songs doesn't have to make sense, but they sing "It Won't Snow This Year In Africa" or something to that effect, I mean seriously; when does it ever snow in Africa.
I just wanted to check if I'm the only one who thinks that line sounds a bit weired.

There is snow on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya.

http://www.exploretravel.no/_images/Kilimanjaro/kili.jpg

I don't mean to degrade what the artists where trying to do back then, but I have "Do They Know It's Christmas?" on 12in, and a certain line have always bugged me, I know what they meant and songs doesn't have to make sense, but they sing "It Won't Snow This Year In Africa" or something to that effect, I mean seriously; when does it ever snow in Africa.
I just wanted to check if I'm the only one who thinks that line sounds a bit weired.


You're referring to the line "There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time", which indeed seems like forcing an open door.
However, as far as I know it occasionally snows in countries in northern Africa (like Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), causing great distress and chaos.

"And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time!
The Greatest gift they'll get thisa year is life"
The whole point of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was to wake people up to the terrible plights of others. I think what that particular line was saying was "While you in the UK, USA, wherever are wondering, "What are we going to buy the kids for Christmas? Will we have snow this year?"etc, etc, people in Ethiopia  are starving."

"And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time!
The Greatest gift they'll get thisa year is life"
The whole point of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was to wake people up to the terrible plights of others. I think what that particular line was saying was "While you in the UK, USA, wherever are wondering, "What are we going to buy the kids for Christmas? Will we have snow this year?"etc, etc, people in Ethiopia  are starving."

I agree completely 80smuzikhead, the line have just bothered me, for some reason.

It's irony. Americans and Europeans associate Christmas with snow. It doesn't snow in Africa at Christmas because most of it is too close to the Equator for snow, and half of it is below the Equator so Christmas is in the summer there. Plus, it's also saying that while we associate Christmas with snow, Africans only know death.

Absolutely - we pray for snow on Christmas Day and in Africa they just pray they'll be alive for Christmas.