‘Africa for Norway’ spoof charity single satirizes African stereotypes (VIDEO)

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A new charity single, out for the Christmas season, is calling on Africans to donate their radiators to the freezing people of Norway.

"Africans unite to save Norwegians from dying of frostbite. You too can donate your radiator and spread some warmth!" says the website for Radi-aid, which features a music video filmed on the sunny shores of Durban, South Africa.

The video shows musicians soliciting donations of radiators, intercut with the usual charity song-recording images — and shots of Norwegians slipping and sliding on winter ice.

Yeah, pretty grim. The Radi-aid campaign is a cheeky attempt by a Norwegian aid group to draw attention to stereotypes about Africa.

"Imagine if every person in Africa saw the “Africa for Norway” video, and this was the only information they ever got about Norway," the website says. "What would they think about Norway?"

In a similar vein, the Onion-esque satirical news website Hayibo, from South Africa, last year ran a story headlined: "‘Yes we know it’s Christmas’ say African musicians as they finally record a response to Band Aid."

The story went on to explain:

Speaking at the launch of the single, whose proceeds will go towards teaching discipline, literacy and contraception at British schools, composer and singer Boomtown Gundane said that for years he had been irked by [Bob] Geldof’s assumption that hungry Africans were also stupid.

“Or was he just saying that Africans were stupid? Of course we knew it was Christmas.”

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