Look at this photo of actor Franck Sylvestre with his doll and tell me what’s the most absurd:
1 – That this black artist be accused of racism for using a doll that represents a black man, even if that black man is… him;
2 – That black activists canceled his play in the middle of Black History Month;
3 – Or that a black activist accused this black artist of being a “sold out”… just because white people came to his defense?
COIL OF COIL!
The city of Beaconsfield has canceled the February 27 performance of The Incredible Secret of Blackbeard, a play for children ages 4 to 11, because two/three activists freaked out when they saw this papier-mâché doll with big lips and big teeth have seen Sylvestre used with no problems…since 2009.
The words “systemic racism”, “stereotyped images”, “blackface”, “discrimination” were coined by the West Island Black Community Association and the Red Coalition (an anti-discrimination organization).
I checked out the Twitter account of the Red Coalition’s Alain Babineau, who is also the director of the French section of the Black Class Action Secretariat.
Here is what he wrote about the “Franck Sylvestre affair”: “When will Montreal’s black communities speak with one voice? Unfortunately, there are far too many “sold out” who think only of their own little happiness, trying not to displease their “master”! “.
But why should all blacks speak with one voice? Do all black people think the same? And why bother with “sold out” black people who don’t see racism in a black artist walking around with a doll in his likeness?
(If people like Boucar Diouf, Normand Brathwaite, Dany Laferrière or others think differently than certain activists, these artists are also called “sold out”.)
At QUB Radio, Benoit Dutrizac and I gave our full support to Franck Sylvestre, who had just granted me an interview.
Not liking this Mr Babineau, who tweeted: “No wonder Dutrizac and Durocher support a ‘good black man’ like Sylvestre! “. As if this artist were a traitor to the cause.
Admit it’s still insane: a man of Martinican descent is told he can’t laugh at himself because… it’s not good to laugh at black people!
PULLING STRINGS
If my friend Guy Nantel uses a noticeably balding puppet in his next show, will ACCNESOI (the Association of the Northeast and Southwest Island Bald Community) accuse him of discrimination against the bald minority?
Well no! He’s bald! And his doll, which looks like him, has no hair either, damn it!
This story of racism towards a puppet is really far fetched!
