When Dubai Ruler donated millions to Live Aid 1985 concert to save Ethiopia from famine

In 1985, humanity came together for a charitable event, the likes of which was never seen before at this scale. The Live Aid concert sought to raise funds for Ethopia famine relief; its biggest donation came from Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

At a time when streaming was not the buzzword it is today, nearly 2 billion people from 150 nations watched the concert live 40 years ago. The transatlantic event was one of the largest television broadcasts of all time.

Some of the biggest names in music, such as Queen, U2, David Bowie, Elton John and Bob Geldof, performed on stage for the televised international charity show, held simultaneously at London's Wembley Stadium and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia.

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Photo: Dubai Media Office

What prompted the concert?

In the early 1980s, the world looked on in horror at images of dying famine victims in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia was hit by extreme drought, but that spiralled into famine as the hardline Marxist government of Mengistu Haile Mariam battled rebels led by Meles Zenawi, who went on to become the country's leader.

A Human Rights Watch report entitled "Evil Days: 30 Years of War and Famine in Ethiopia" set the estimated famine death toll at between 400,000 and 1 million.

The world sensed an urge to intervene.

Photos: AFP file

How did it go?

While Live Aid unfolded with renowned musicians performing alternately in the UK and the US, donations were falling short of the scale and spirit of the event—causing widespread frustration among the organisers.

Despite the massive global reach, the first few hours of the event saw disappointingly low donations coming in via telephone pledges—a problem that nearly undermined the concert’s mission.

Many argued that donating via the telephone was not popular enough at that time and people dealt with Live Aid more like a musical event, not an urgent call for help.

At that time, donations did not exceed 10 thousand sterling pounds.

Sheikh Mohammed steps in

Just as the mega charity event was at a risk of failure, Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, stepped in and donated a whopping one million sterling pounds.

As per British diplomatic correspondence, the Dubai Ruler was following the concert at his Majlis in London.

Photo: Dubai Media Office

At first, Live Aid organisers were in shock and doubted the news of the royal's generous contribution, but an official call with Sheikh Mohammed's London office confirmed the news.

The donation rekindled interest in the campaign and donors worldwide began to give money. In total, the event raised about $100 million and spawned similar events all over the world for decades afterwards.

(With inputs from AFP)

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