“This is Africa” Exhibition

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Photo of an African boy side to side with gorilla at "This is Africa" exhibition

“This is Africa” Exhibition is a photo exhibition held at the Hubei Provincial Museum from 28th September until 17th October 2017. The exhibition included photographs from Africa taken by Chinese photographer Yu Huiping, with a total of 150 photographs shown over the course of three weeks.

The ‘This is Africa' exhibition was created to “give tourists a sense of ‘primitive life' in Africa through the interplay of humans, livestock, and nature,” according to Shangaiist a local destination site.

The photographer, who is also the vice-president of the Hubei Photographers Association, is said to be a huge fan of Africa's wildlife. He gave the exhibits the Chinese idiom "outward appearance follows inner truth" as a title.[1]

Racial Issue

Photo of African man next to photo of monkey

Due to racial gestures toward African immigrants, this show sparked debate in society. African people were juxtaposed with images of wild animals with agape mouths, such as large cats and apes.

According to the curator, the photographer's aim in making his collection was to "display the peace between man and animal in Africa." “This is not discriminatory in the least.”[2]

Backlash

According to the Shanghaiist, African social media users were outraged by the montages, which included one showing an open-mouthed African boy alongside a monkey in the same pose, and another showing a black adult man baring his teeth alongside a photograph of a lion.[3]

Edward E Duke, a Nigerian Instagram regular, was the first to note the inflammatory nature. He wondered why the museum "placed pictures of a particular race next to wild animals" in a message that was later deleted.[4]

"It seems insensitive to me. They appeared to ridicule Africans and distort Africa, in my view "Samantha Sibanda, a Zimbabwean and member of the Appreciate Africa Network, shared her sentiments.[5]

The exhibit was eventually removed after complaints by Africans, including some living in China. More than 141,000 people visit the exhibit in Wuhan, which opened just before China’s week-long National Day holiday.

Apology

“We have replaced the images that our African friends find surprising to prove our gratitude and sincerity,” said Wang Yuejun, one of the exhibit's curators. Wang also said that in Chinese culture, animal similarities are usually taken as a complement, citing the Chinese zodiac signs, which match people to animals based on their birth year.

Wang said in a statement that the target demographic is mostly Chinese. The museum, however, realized that the photographs insulted "our African mates," and the photos were deleted to demonstrate respect for their interests, Wang explained.[6]

However, in his apology, Wang blamed the dispute on distortion and over-interpretation by some online media, and he asked for everyone's understanding, especially from Africans, and vowed to continue contributing to the friendship between China and Africa.

Really, this isn't the first time that Chinese organizations have been accused of racial insensitivity in recent years.
In 2016, the Qiaobi detergent company apologised after a television commercial for its detergent campaign depicted a black man being dragged into a washing machine and then turned into an Asian man after being cleaned with the detergent.

External Link

Read the official statement here
Watch the video at Youtube

References

  1. Akwei, Ismail. Chinese museum pulls down 'racist' exhibits comparing Africans to animals, africanews.com, 17 October 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. AFP. China museum removes photos comparing Africans to animals following racism row, Hong Kong Free Press, 13 October 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  3. Agence France-Presse. Chinese museum removes racist exhibit comparing Africans to animals, hindustantimes.com, 14 October 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. Haas, Benjamin. Chinese museum accused of racism over photos pairing Africans with animals, theguardian.com, 14 October 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  5. Housen, Claudine.Africans’ call for apology over ‘racism’ overreaction: Wuhan curator, globaltimes.cn, 15 October 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  6. Haas, Benjamin. Chinese museum accused of racism over photos pairing Africans with animals, theguardian.com, 14 October 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2020.