Days That Shook The World - 23rd October 1984

Article by James Lewis. Edited and researched by Tom Burke.

23rd October 1984. Admittedly, this is not the most widely recognized date in history. Probably not even of the 20th Century. 11th November 1914, October 24th 1929, 1st September 1945, November 23rd 1963, 20th July 1969, 9th November 1989. These are the dates the really strike a chord in society. And who is to argue that they shouldn’t? All were days that ‘shook the world’, whether that means economic ruin in the form of the Wall Street Crash, or an even so shocking that it brings the globe to a standstill, such as the Kennedy Assassination. 

Even more astonishingly, a search of BBC On This Day would startlingly reveal that the event I will be referring to is not the first, second, nor sixth news item. 

On the 23rd October 1984 the BBC showed one of the most influential pieces of journalism ever to grace television, radio, the internet or print media. The report, a little under seven minutes in length, detailed the plight of a small West African nation, one that had only burst onto the international political landscape a decade earlier with its publicized, although not to the extent of other nations such as Vietnam, communist revolution.

That was until it experienced one of the worst famines, not only in its own history, but across the world and time. In 1973- 74 between 40,000 and 80,000 people had died in the province of Wollo because of famine brought on by drought – one of the major factors as to why the communist ‘Derg’ received so much support with Addis Ababa. This scenario was met, and then (often record lows) the provinces of Gojjam, Eritrea, Hararghe, Tigray, and Wollo fell into a horrific circumstances, with no crop, and even less food. This was exacerbated by the political turmoil and military conflict the country was experiencing. Ever since the Derg revolution the country had almost constantly been in a state of conflict, whether fighting insurgents within the country or over the disputed region of Eritrea with Somalia. This led to food being diverted away from the starving populace, and even been destroyed in a scorched Earth policy, akin to tactics employed by the Soviet Union in the Second World War.

Despite these circumstances, the people’s plight was unheeded on the international stage. This was not down to ignorance, as British government records – all of which can be found at the British archive at Kew – indicate that Her Majesty’s Government was aware of a number of factors, including: 

• The record low rainfall in many provinces, and that this would culminate in extreme famine • That there was political turmoil within the country 

• That the Derg’s programme of population relocation was concentrating huge numbers of people in these dangerous areas 

• That, as part of the conflict, soldiers – whether insurgents, foreign, or part of the Derg – was either diverting food or destroying it 

• And that, perhaps most importantly, Ethiopia was asking for aid 

Britain had given substantial aid to Ethiopia after the 1973 revolution. However, after Ethiopia declared allegiance to the Soviet Union, this aid dramatically decreased. Political reasons were given by HMG for this reversal. 

The people’s plight seemed unfixable. 

That was until, on the 23rd October 1984, a seven minute BBC report aired on the news. Focusing on the town of Korem, where 40,000 refugees had flocked through starvation, the harrowing pictures were some of the most powerful ever seen on television. The vernacular used demonstrates this. Phrases such as ‘Biblical Famine in the 20th Century’ & ‘Closest thing to Hell on Earth’, powerful as they were, nevertheless were eclipsed by the footage of tens of thousands of starving men, women and children. Some seen in the report would die that very same day. The night before it showed in Britain thirty seven would perish, and this was described as a one of the better nights. So accustomed to death had the people become that the reporter felt the phrase ‘Bureaucracy of death’ was the most appropriate description. 

The reaction to this report was staggering. Picked up by news stations across the globe, including CNN, the world was shocked into action. The calls from International Relief Agencies, who had already worked tirelessly in attempting to alleviate the plight, were met with gusto from guilt ridden nations. International aid boomed. Britain, for example, abandoned their policy of neglect. In January 1985 Britain began its first campaign of food drops, with nations such as Sweden, Canada, West Germany and the Soviet Union following suit. Then came the biggest and best known consequence – Live Aid. Geldof’s project, bringing together musical superstars such as Status Quo, Queen, U2 and Elvis Costello, was one of greatest examples of the world coming together with the aim of helping those without the means to help themselves. Estimates suggested that nearly 150 million pounds was raised from the concerts alone. 

The landscape of international journalism was changed forever. News agencies purposefully sent out reporters and cameras to war, famine and natural disaster zones across the world, each bringing back tales of sorrow with the aim of alleviation. The Somalia famine and War, ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia and genocide in Kosovo all received wide media attention. 

Let us not forget however, that during the course of the 1983-5 famine, estimates from Alexander de Waal, an expert on disaster zones, suggest that over 400,000 people died. I have neglected to name the country to demonstrate that international aid and attention should not be focused through a lens of partisanship, that all nations deserve help. 

• The Derg party ruled the Ethiopia from 1974 to 1987, and was led by Mengistu Haile Marian fighting a civil war in the first three years of its rule and forcing thousands to flee the country. Alexander de Waal attributes the famine in the 1980s as partly if not wholly caused by the Derg government’s actions, particularly is violent repression of resistance movements. 

• Buerk was awarded a Golden Nymph at the Monte Carlo festival for this and other reports on the famine in Ethiopia.

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