A little over a year ago I spoke at an African-Caribbean society meeting about the history of the slave trade, civil rights movement and the situation facing less developed countries in Africa. Everyone seemed very happy to hear what I had to say, and many wanted to hear a little more afterwards. I think the most important thing is to be respectful to both the subject matter and the audience.
I'm put in mind of when the (white) satirists John Bird and John Fortune recently performed a sketch in which Bird, in general's uniform but not in any way blacked-up, played the part of a corrupt president of an unnamed African republic, delivering his lines with a strong Afrikaans accent that didn't appear to be an exaggerated charcature. It struck me as quite a bold move, considering how white people making jokes about horrible assholes who happen to have dark skin is something of a taboo in left-wing British comedy, which has to contend with the history of racist "entertainment" like Bernard Manning and the Black and White Minstrel Show.
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Date: 2009-02-21 04:04 pm (UTC)I'm put in mind of when the (white) satirists John Bird and John Fortune recently performed a sketch in which Bird, in general's uniform but not in any way blacked-up, played the part of a corrupt president of an unnamed African republic, delivering his lines with a strong Afrikaans accent that didn't appear to be an exaggerated charcature. It struck me as quite a bold move, considering how white people making jokes about horrible assholes who happen to have dark skin is something of a taboo in left-wing British comedy, which has to contend with the history of racist "entertainment" like Bernard Manning and the Black and White Minstrel Show.