▲ The performers dressed as African blacks are dancing on the CCTV broadcast on the 11th. 


Chinese state broadcasters were again criticized for racial discrimination by appearing dancers dressed as blacks in a special program for the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year).



On the night of the 11th, in a program called'Chunwan' (春晩) broadcast by CCTV in China, performers dressed in African-style costumes and painted black skin appeared and danced.



'Chunwan' is a special show that airs about 5 hours every year in China the night before the Lunar New Year, and all local satellite broadcasting in China also broadcasts CCTV Chunwan, and it is known that over 1 billion people watch it.



The act of impersonating a black person with a black face and exaggerated gestures or dancing by a non-black person is called the'black face', originating in Europe and the United States in the era of imperialism and colonialism, and is one of the representative racist acts that black people feel humiliated. Is one.



Black Livity China, a black group in China, tweeted that it was "very disappointing" that China's flagship public program broadcast this behavior.



Another group, Chinacaucus, pointed out that this practice is "unfortunately, an annual tradition that shows no signs of ending in a short period of time," and urged the organizers to end this practice next year and directly hire black people, who have many in China. .



Regarding the backlash from black groups, one Weibo (Chinese SNS similar to Twitter) said, "Is there any difference between a Chinese wearing a black dress and a white raising their eyes to mock Asians?" I did.



This is not the first time that CCTV's Lunar New Year special show has been criticized for racial discrimination.



In 2018, the cast was dressed up as a black African and a comedy with a monkey was a huge controversy.



China, which has invested heavily in Africa and devoted its efforts to expanding its influence, tried to highlight its relationship with Africa in the Lunar New Year program, but the controversy over racism is causing controversy.



(Photo = YouTube screenshot capture)