MFA: Critics of blackface skit just trying to hurt Africa ties

China has said that those who have criticized an infamous skit at last week’s Spring Festival Gala are engaging in a “futile” plot aimed at undermining China-Africa relations.

When asked at a regular press conference in Beijing earlier today about widespread allegations of racism against the skit — which, among other things, featured a Chinese actress in blackface playing an African mother — Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reject any criticism of the skit, stating that China has always been opposed to any form of racial discrimination and accusing Western media of trying to “hype up” the incident.

“Recently many media, especially Western media, have reported on and commented on this matter,” Geng said, according to a Reuters report.

“I want to say that if there are people who want to seize on an incident to exaggerate matters, and sow discord in China’s relations with African countries, this is a doomed futile effort,” he continued, adding that China-Africa relations were now unbreakable having weathered many storms.

“How relations are between China and Africa and whether or not cooperation is good, African countries and the people of Africa know in their hearts exactly how things stand.”

In case you’re somehow not aware, the sketch in question was part of last week’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala, an annual televised variety show that is the most watched event in human history with upwards of 800 million viewers. The skit was apparently aimed at promoting China-Africa relations to a domestic audience, featuring a number of African performers smiling, dancing, singing, and speaking in Mandarin, including a group of young women training to be conductors on a Chinese-built train line in Kenya.

However, the skit’s racism was really pushed to the forefront with the introduction of an “African mother,” played by a Chinese actress in blackface, with a large artificial behind, who was accompanied by a monkey. The scene ends with the woman praising all of the good things that China has done for Africa.

“I love Chinese people! I love China!”she declares as the audience applauds.

Curiously, video of the skit has been taken off of the gala’s official YouTube page, but you can still watch it here:

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=n0025r2g5wx&width=500&height=375&auto=0

While criticism of the skit was certainly most harsh on Western media, including a number of think pieces exploring how something this racist could be written, directed, and aired on China’s most important night of television, it’s important to note that many Chinese netizens also slammed the skit, writing that it made them feel “awkward” or “embarrassed” — though criticism of the gala was censored on Weibo.

Though some had hoped that the blackface skit might finally lead to some official soul-searching or even an apology on China’s part, it was not to be. People in China say that the annual CCTV gala only gets worse every year, if that still holds true, we can’t imagine what 2019 has in store.

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