China Central Television broadcast its annual Spring Festival Gala during the Lunar New Year holiday. The program featured a skit set in Kenya in the context of the Beijing-funded Nairobi-Mombasa railway project.
The scene revolved around a young black woman introducing a Chinese man, who is posing as her husband, to her mother. The young woman was portrayed by a black actress, but the mother was played by a Chinese actress in blackface and wearing oversized fake buttocks, exclaiming how much she loves China.
The sketch was met with indignation internationally, but indifference domestically.
On one level, the content operated as pure propaganda. China is investing heavily in Africa as part of its One Belt, One Road Initiative. Seen in this light, it was meant as a celebration of China’s expanding global influence and the supposed favorable attitude toward Chinese investment in other nations. The show, after all, was mainly for a domestic audience.
However, if Beijing wants to reflect various aspects of its growing global influence, it might want to consider the importance of cultural sensitivity and its responsibility as an emerging world power.
Such stereotyping, caricature and the use of blackface are reminiscent of programs that used to be aired in the West, such as the BBC’s Black and White Minstrel Show, which ran in the UK from 1958 to 1978.
The US and Britain bear the historical baggage of slavery and colonialism. However, aversion to such racial stereotypes in the West in more recent times is a measure of how far these issues have been, and are being addressed.
Even without considerations of cultural sensitivity and responsibility as a member of the international community, official channels in China should be mindful even when appealing to a predominantly domestic audience. While China is overwhelmingly ethnically homogenous, its territory includes millions of ethnic minorities as well as newer immigrants, including increasing numbers of Africans. Beijing should take educating the public on such matters seriously.
In Taiwan, there are constant reminders of cultural insensitivity and racial stereotypes, and authorities here, too, still have a long way to go in educating people on such matters.
Darlie toothpaste is still sold and serves as a reminder to a time when the brand was more blatantly racist. The logo of a beaming man in a top hat used to be far less ambiguous, altered from an image more obviously depicting a “minstrel” caricature.
However, the Chinese characters, still unapologetically read “black man” (黑人).
How should we think of the notorious Nazi-themed cosplay event held by Hsinchu Kuang Fu High School students on Dec. 26, 2016? The outrage caused by the event forced school principal Cheng Hsiao-ming (程曉銘) to resign.
Cheng said that the school would seek to educate its students about the atrocities committed by the Nazis. These were positive steps, but questions remain about an education system in which students were not already aware of such an important matter.
Early last month, there were reports of an event to mark the anniversary of a high school in Kaohsiung’s Fongshan District (鳳山), in which students wore Arabic-style clothing and sported imitation rifles, pretending to be terrorists. According to a report by the Liberty Times, teachers at the event pretended not to notice.
The government has aspirations for Taiwan to be a multicultural society, welcoming immigration and trying to project soft power and international reach through its New Southbound Policy.
Improved education about cultural sensitivity is important.
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