Antiques Roadshow guests usually look forward to the valuation of their cherished items as the experts share their opinions on them, but one classic episode – which airs once more on the BBC on Sunday – saw art antiques specialist Marc Allum refusing to put a price on a collection of items.
While the BBC show has in the past seen memorabilia from the classic 1985 Live Aid concert, which famously raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia, Allum met a group who at the time were making their own contribution to the cause.
Another charity concert known as Braffa was constructed, with their single, Let’s Make Africa Green Again, featuring some of the biggest reggae stars of the day.
One of the organisers, Leon, had brought along some items from the time for Allum to evaluate.
“Yourself, obviously, being an instrumental an important kingpin on the whole of Braffa, but I can’t help but mention the fact that everybody behind me here was also involved,” Allum noted.
“So let’s go back in time and talk about why Braffa originated and we’re talking about basically the famine in Ethiopia in 1984,” he went on. “There was something missing from Live Aid, wasn’t there?”
“Band Aid raised millions, and Bob Geldof had the contacts to these major artists, but at the time we had major artists in the charts like Trevor Walters and many others, and we weren’t called upon,” Leon explained.
“So we didn’t object against what he was doing, but we wanted to be seen doing something as African descendants helping the people.”
He went on to recall that “about 200” people took part in recording the track.
Observing the items, Allum remarked: “So we’ve got a copy of Let’s Make Africa Green Again here, we’ve got various bits and photographs and I can see there’s a photograph behind you there with Princess Anne – and are you in that photograph, Leon?”
“Yes, that’s myself there,” Leon stated proudly, pointing himself out in the image.
“This is something that has been brought to life in a much bigger way now as well, hasn’t it?” Allum added.
He continued to detail why the price of the collection wasn’t important, adding: “It was something extremely important to you and we talk about values and things on this show and you know, I can talk about the value of these items in front of us here and maybe there’s a few hundred pounds worth but that’s not what’s important here, is it?
“It’s about social history and it’s about what you did out there, the money you raised and it’s massively important to see that reinvented in a way that brings it back to people and younger generations too.”
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Making his own request to the group, Allum added: “So I’ve got you all here – and there’s absolutely no way I’m going to let you go without singing a reprise from Let’s Make Africa Green Again, so please, take it away.”
They were met with applause from Allum and the impressed crowd of people gathered after the group sang their famous hit.
