The original White Band Day

June 16, 2005 

Three weeks prior to the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, and just two weeks before the Live8 concerts, GCAP “turned up the volume” with the Day of the African Child. In fact this event was Africa’s first White Band Day, when all the peoples of Africa were asked to wear a simple white band to show their solidarity with the campaign.

“…Disbanding Make Poverty History has a lot to do with the interests of the big NGOs that dominated it” and that “scrapping MPH was an utterly shameful decision. It can only promote the belief that those who currently dominate the world are benevolent figures who will, with a few pushes from below, continue to take “small steady steps forward.” But this is a lie that helps to kill millions every year.”           

                                      – Alex Callinicos, left-wing activist  

 The June 16th date was chosen for the Day of the African Child because it is a day of cultural and political significance in Africa. It commemorates the brutal 1976 massacre of school children during South Africa’s ruthless apartheid government. Consequently, the launch of Africa’s antipoverty publicity campaign was dedicated to the memory of those African children who have perished because of violence and poverty.

In addition, over 3 million children from 100 countries – from Senegal to Brazil – stood united, sending a simple but strong a message to the G8: send my friend to school! These messages appeared on child-shaped cutout figures known as “buddies.” These paper dolls represented 100 million children worldwide who have been denied their right to an education. Each was a direct plea from a child to the G8 leaders to insisting they honour the promises made by politicians in the year 2000, to provide every child in a basic primary education by 2015.