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The controversy regarding Tintin in the Congo seems to be pretty well known, though I only read of it today for the first time. I was researching the author Herge because of another book, which is in my possession.
Two white kids come to a desert island where they are found by black natives, captured, and taken to a hut where they are force fed to be fattened up. (ham-ham, by the way, is German baby-talk for eat-eat.)
The natives prepare a fire to eat the (now fat) kids.
With the help of a troop of monkeys who pelt coconuts at the natives, the kids run to the beach, followed by spear-throwing natives. A mysterious bulldozer drives out of the sea and starts firingthe natives with mysterious rays, completely conquering the native army.
The natives bow down and worship the bulldozwer and the kids, who are carried back to the village in triumph an dadorned with flowers.
OK, I understand that this was the typical attitude of the day, as described in the article; and I hate censorship. But - well, I absolutely did NOT want my son reading this book. He was having enough problems as it was beingthe only dark skinned child among whites, and bullied for that reason.
I complained; the librarian told me the book wasn't racist, it was just a comic and quite harmless. Nevertheless, they removed it form the library and gave it to me.
I don't think it is in print in the USA or UK, but it IS in print in France and Germany.
What do you think?
ETA: it is indeed available in the US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0951279955/?tag=absowrit-20
One of the reviews on that page says:
My own problem with Herge began when my son borrowed a library book (Die Manitoba Antwortet Nicht) many years ago, and I found the following pictures in it:...the reputation of the intrepid boy reporter and that of his creator Hergé have long been besmirched by allegations of racism over the story of his exploits in colonial Africa.
Yesterday, however, both moved a step towards rehabilitation when a Belgian court ruled that a 1946 edition of Tintin in the Congo did not break the country's anti-hate laws. It found the second of his adventures was a product of the attitudes of the day and not a deliberate attempt to incite racism.
"It is clear that neither the story, nor the fact that it has been put on sale, has a goal to... create an intimidating, hostile, degrading or humiliating environment," the court said in its judgement.
The decision was a setback for Congolese campaigner Bienvenu Mbutu Mondondo, who since 2007 has been seeking a ban on the book claiming the portrayal of Africans was "a justification of white supremacy". His lawyer said he plans to appeal against the decision.
Two white kids come to a desert island where they are found by black natives, captured, and taken to a hut where they are force fed to be fattened up. (ham-ham, by the way, is German baby-talk for eat-eat.)
The natives prepare a fire to eat the (now fat) kids.
With the help of a troop of monkeys who pelt coconuts at the natives, the kids run to the beach, followed by spear-throwing natives. A mysterious bulldozer drives out of the sea and starts firingthe natives with mysterious rays, completely conquering the native army.
The natives bow down and worship the bulldozwer and the kids, who are carried back to the village in triumph an dadorned with flowers.
OK, I understand that this was the typical attitude of the day, as described in the article; and I hate censorship. But - well, I absolutely did NOT want my son reading this book. He was having enough problems as it was beingthe only dark skinned child among whites, and bullied for that reason.
I complained; the librarian told me the book wasn't racist, it was just a comic and quite harmless. Nevertheless, they removed it form the library and gave it to me.
I don't think it is in print in the USA or UK, but it IS in print in France and Germany.
What do you think?
ETA: it is indeed available in the US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0951279955/?tag=absowrit-20
One of the reviews on that page says:
Any book with great drawings of volcanoes, airplanes, and underwater scenes appeals to a 4 year old, but there is an unfortunate portrayal of island "natives," which will offend the sensitive. Not as bad as Tintin in the Congo, but worse than the portrayal of the Indians in "America."
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