K'Naan Writes Column About Charity

10/21/09 5:09pm

by Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

K'Naan has written a column about charity — or what he thinks is its main problem.

The Canadian rapper says he thinks there's nothing wrong with charity, so long as people start recognizing that it's not exactly a selfless practice.

"At its worst, charity springs from our ego's need to be seen as a good, or to attain material profit from the misery of others," he writes. "At its best, it is done to feel good about oneself, or to leave a good name behind."

He goes on to expound on an event in which someone helped him out and he was made to feel like he should always be thankful for it because of how often his acquaintance mentioned in public that he'd helped him.

He goes on to cite religious charities (doing good work so that "God" might pay you a good turn in return) as an example of this problem, and says there's nothing wrong with helping others so long as people acknowledge they're doing it to because it benefits themselves.

"But, in our crooked humanity and its glory, I do think that certain selfishness is good selfishness," he writes. "In fact, we can say it is necessary to be selfish in order to give. We just have to be honest about our reasons. It is okay to say, 'I want to help people because it's good for me.' It's okay to say, 'I do it not because I am precious and kind, but because it is in my best interest to do so.' Everything you do for charity is ultimately for you. I am no exception."

You can read the entire column here.

K'Naan has these dates scheduled in support of this year's Polaris Music Prize short listed Troubadour:

Oct. 21 Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre w/ Lenny Kravitz
Oct. 23 Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theatre w/ Lenny Kravitz
Oct. 24 Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Event Center w/ Lenny Kravitz
Oct. 26 Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium w/ Lenny Kravitz
Oct. 27 Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte w/ Lenny Kravitz
Oct. 29 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle w/ Lenny Kravitz
Oct. 30 Tunica, MS @ Harrah's Casino Tunica Event Center w/ Lenny Kravitz
Nov. 2 Murray, KY @ Regional Special Events Center w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 3 Louisville, KY @Bellarmine University w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 6 Rochester, NY @ Gordon Fieldhouse w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 8 Ithaca, NY @ Barton Hall w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 10 Blacksburg, VA @ Burruss Auditorium w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 12 Fairfield, CT @ William Pitt Center w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 14 Lewisburg, PA @ Sojka Pavillion w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 16 Newark, DE @ Bob Carpenter Convocation Center w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 18 Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 21 San Angelo, TX @ Junell Center at Stephens Arena w/ Maroon 5
Nov. 22 Wichita, KS @ Charles Koch Arena w/ Maroon 5
Feb. 24 Whistler, BC @ The Orpheum Theatre
Feb. 25 Vancouver, BC @ Olympic Outdoor Stage