‘Racist’ Chinese exhibit with photos of black people
‘Racist’ Chinese exhibit with photos of black people next to animals shut down
A photo of an African boy and a gorilla by Yu Huiping in an exhibit in China that was removed after sparking accusations of racism. Photograph: Shanghaiist
Sat Oct 14/2017
A museum in China has removed an exhibit this week that juxtaposed photographs of animals with portraits of black Africans, sparking complaints of racism.
A photography exhibit showing black people side-by-side with wild animals has been pulled in China, following accusations of racism.
‘This Is Africa’, which opened at the Hubei Provincial Museum in the central Chinese city of Wuhan shortly before National Day in early October, was well-received by some critics. Zhao Yingxin, president of the China Photographic Publishing House, called it “perceptive, smart and visually impactful,” adding that the photos seemed to “leap out of the screen,”according to Shanghaiist.
But not everyone felt the same way. In a post that’s now been deleted, Instagram user Edward Duke wrote: “The Hubei Provincial Museum put pictures of a particular race next to wild animals why? Are they the only race to have impoverished looking people?”
The exhibit juxtaposed photos of black Africans with those of animals. In one picture, a boy with his mouth open is shown next to an image of a gorilla, while in another a man is compared to a chimpanzee and a lion. All the pictures were taken by businessman and vice-chairman of the Hubei Photographers Association, Yu Huiping, who traveled to Africa many times to get the images.The pictures were removed this week following complaints, including from local residents.
Racial sensitivities are often muddled in China, where about 92% of the population belongs to the dominant Han ethnicity and ethnic minorities mostly live in the sporadically populated far west of the country. African countries are increasingly important trading partners, but cultural stereotypes dominate Chinese popular discourse on the continent~The Guardian.com