In an open letter on October 28, 2016, the Initiative Black People in Germany (ISD) called on Südwestrundfunk (SWR) to refrain from broadcasting a sketch as part of the program “Verstehen Sie Spaß?” on ZDF.
In the show, host Guido Cantz uses the racist practice of blackfacing as part of a so-called loading:
Statement of the Initiative Black People in Germany on the planned broadcast “Verstehen Sie Spaß?” on 29.10.2016
The fun stops where racism begins!
Dear Mr. Boudgoust Dear Mr. Hauser,
The initiative Black People in Germany has been committed for years against the still common practice of blackfacing in Germany on German stages, in the broadcasting stations of public and private television stations and in everyday cultural areas such as carnival. This form of depicting Black people continues a racist tradition that – also in Germany – was or is not acceptable at any time.
Despite the public confrontations in similar cases in the past (Günter Wallraff , Dieter Hallervorden, Denis Scheck, Wetten dass …?), the realization has apparently still not spread that racist practice, at no time is socially acceptable.
For the program “Verstehen Sie Spaß…?” from SWR, the presenter Guido Cantz had himself dressed up as a black South African in the racist blackfacing tradition with brown makeup on his face and unnaturally thick lips modeled on (he also provided a stereotypical accent during his appearance!). The sketch in question was recorded for the Swiss program “Happy Day” with the aim of really taking the piss out of the presenter Röbi Koller in the program.
In fact, however, racist traditions and racist images of Africans portrayed as stupid are invoked and reproduced in the blackfacing manner of 19th century minstrel theater* with which black people are ridiculed.
In the sketch, Franziska, a white young Swiss woman, is supposedly looking for her father. When the bogeyman is introduced to her as her father, her world collapses. After all, a Black father can only be bad – for the amusement of the audience.
At the same time, no one seems to notice the grotesquely overdrawn figure. Not to the audience, not to Franziska, and not to the presenter. Only one thing everyone seems to know: a Black father – that’s a nasty surprise.
The Initiative Black People in Germany is appalled that a team of a public broadcaster (which is also financed by black people through their tax money) develops a broadcast concept, signs off on it and implements it in a show without even remotely recognizing the problem, let alone refraining from doing so.
Furthermore, it is frightening that even after criticism has been voiced publicly, it is not dealt with. Instead, they continue in the same racist style, trivializing the whole thing and portraying it as if blackfacing were a “normal” form of disguise.
Critical voices, both black and white, are ignored and not taken seriously . In this way, the station exposes itself in two respects: not only is it run by bad media professionals, but it is also an institution permeated by discriminatory thought structures that insists on blatantly acting them out.
We from the ISD and the supporting organizations emphatically demand that an airing of the sketch in the show on 29.10.2016 is renounced and that an apology for this renewed derailment of the ARD towards Black people is issued.
It is the task of public broadcasters to promote the human rights ratified by the Federal Republic, not to undermine them. Spreading negative stereotypes in a colonial racist tradition blatantly violates this mandate. Specifically, it is explicitly required by human rights to ensure that media do not disseminate discriminatory, stereotyping prejudices about people of African descent**. Several UN experts condemned the widespread blackfacing*** in the Netherlands as early as four years ago and have since been engaged in an intensive human rights dialogue on the issue, which has received a great deal of media and public attention. We expect a public broadcaster to be aware of such relevant discourses, to strive to comply with human rights standards and, when it is made aware of violations by those affected, to deal with them self-critically. SWR has lacked all of this so far.
We therefore call for a deeper examination within the station at all levels of their overtly racist structures, images and ideas about Black people. This should best be done with professional support from trainers. Such trainings promote professionalization in dealing with socio-critical and sensitive topics such as the dignified and stereotype-free representation of all – i.e. also Black – people in public space and discourse. Such a task lies within the mandate of the public media, which must place the dignity of Black people above the supposed pleasure of a majority white television audience and not rely on distorted perceptions of a department head like Barbara Breidenbach.
Board of Directors and Advisory Board of ISD Bund e.V.
*A tradition which reached into the 1960s and also has a long tradition in Germany
**GeneralRecommendation No. 34 of the UN Anti-Racism Committee, para. 30 ff. of 30.9.2011
***https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/weltgeschehen/article129750354/Der-Zwarte-Piet-ist-eine-rassistische-Karikatur.html