[ad_1]
A Chinese state broadcaster was criticized on Friday for showing dancers in black makeup during its Lunar New Year entertainment show.
The annual show is one of the world’s most-watched television shows, and China Central Television (CCTV) was also criticized for its depiction of Africans in 2018.
How did the controversy arise?
The CCTV presentation of “African Song and Dance” came at the beginning of the Spring Festival Gala for the lunar Year of the Ox.
The show featured Chinese dancers in African-style costumes and dark makeup dancing and drumming.
The performance sparked accusations of cultural insensitivity and racism, including from black advocacy groups.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has defended the African segment of the show as a mark of respect.
Authorities say the annual one-hour show, a television highlight since 1983, is watched by up to 800 million viewers.
CCTV also faced criticism for its 2018 Spring Festival Gala, featuring performers wearing dark makeup in overalls.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry defended the inclusion of the African segment, saying it was a show of respect.
What social media users said
Users of Weibo, China’s social media platform similar to Twitter, expressed surprise and exasperation at the masterpiece.
“The team of directors of the New Years Gala is just stupid and cruel,” said one user.
“Is there a difference between Chinese who make black faces and whites who bend their eyes to mock Asians?” said another.
Black Livity China, a group of people of African descent who work for or have ties to China, called the broadcast “extremely disappointing.”
“We cannot emphasize enough the impact that scenes like these have on the African and Afro-diasporic communities living in China,” the group said.
The activist group Black China Caucus tweeted that it hoped the organizers would “put an end to this practice and hire some of the thousands of blacks who live in many parts of China.”
“While supporters of the practice allege that blackface focuses on empathy and realism, it is difficult to dissociate it from a long history of minstrels and fixation on problematic cartoons,” the group said.
China rejects ‘ulterior motives’
The ruling Communist Party of China tries to promote an image of solidarity with African nations as fellow developing economies, against the charge that it behaves as a colonial power on the continent.
China’s Foreign Ministry said that the integration of cultural elements from other countries into Chinese performances was a mark of respect. He said that the inclusion of the African segment was not a diplomatic issue.
“If someone wants to take advantage of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala program to create a scandal, or even sow discord in relations between China and African countries, they obviously have ulterior motives,” the ministry said in a statement to the agency. of Reuters news.
rc / dj (Reuters, AP, dpa)
[ad_2]
