Comedian apologises for black face in Leon Schuster movie
The #BlackLivesMatter movement has brought important conversations around racism back in recent times.
These conversations go beyond the surface levels of what racism is - they interrogate the systematic racism that is experienced across the world by people of colour in school, the workforce, and even the creative industry.
Local streaming service Showmax recently announced that they will be reviewing the content on their platform. The first of these is of popular filmmaker, Leon Schuster.
The 69-year-old comedian was removed from Showmax whilst an internal review continues. Some of Schuster's movies that have been removed are: 'You Must Be Joking', 'You Must Be Joking Too', 'Oh Schucks…It’s Schuster', 'Sweet ‘n Short', 'Schucks! Pay Back the Money', and 'Frank and Fearless'.
The news of Showmax pulling Schuster’s films sparked a moment of reflection from local comedian Rob Van Vuuren on his Facebook page. Rob, who appeared in Schuster’s movies wearing black face, shared this on his Facebook page:
Black face stretches back centuries and its implications are deeply rooted in oppression.
"The use of blackface was particularly prominent in the 1800s as a reaction to anti-slavery campaigns and was a means of mocking Black people. It played into attitudes and ideologies that underpinned transatlantic slavery and segregation." According to Digital Spy.
Stacey and JSbu decided to give Van Vuuren a call. The comedian reflected on his role in the films and why he decided to speak up now.
Listen to the podcast below: