Surrey School District cancels theatre show due to concerns over racism
Posted November 1, 2019 2:10 pm.
Last Updated November 1, 2019 7:16 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The Surrey School district has stepped in and cancelled a theatre show due to its use of blackface and perpetuation of racist stereotypes.
The play “Double Trouble Im Hussein” was scheduled to be performed at Surrey’s Bell Performing Arts Centre–which is owned and operated by the district–on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Clear display of #blackface in the trailer of Im Hussein #noblackfacevancouver pic.twitter.com/c2dpdF6VIq
— Aslam Bulbulia (@MosesGuy) November 1, 2019
The campaign for cancellation was launched by a group called No Blackface Vancouver, who contacted the board Friday.
“Surrey schools does not condone racism and takes matters of this nature very seriously. We examined the situation very carefully and decided to cancel the production,” says spokesperson Ratinder Matthew.
A synopsis of the play says it centres around a “Nigerian scammer” who swindles a couple out of their life savings. It describes it as a “carnival of chaos, laced generously with Im Hussein’s signature comedic input.”
The stereotyping of Nigerians as “scammers” is one of the issues advocates have with the production.
No Black Face Vancouver says the content of the play can not be excused as mere satire, calling it “blatant racism.”
“It uses stereotypical tropes of black people, especially Nigerian people as well as Chinese tropes and stereotypes in order to elicit laughter. If something is claiming to be antiracist or working toward anti-racism, the reliance on racist stereotypes and tropes and blackface, in particular, is not the way to achieve these ends,” says spokesperson Aslam Bulbulia.
He says the use of blackface is harmful in any context, and can never be compatible with an anti-racist agenda.
