Donning a blackface and a shoddy replication of the traditional African garment, the Chinese actress Lou Naiming praised her homeland on behalf of Africa. “I love Chinese people. I love China!,” she said, while an estimated 800 million people watched the four-hour-long Lunar New Year special on CCTV, China’s state broadcasting network. Besides, her role was that of an African man in a monkey costume.
On Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids–a popular Philippine singing competition where contestants impersonate pop stars–three boys dressed as Mariah Carey and the members of Boyz II Men performed to One Sweet Day. They darkened their faces. In Thailand, soldiers painted their face black and danced to what seemed to be a parody of the viral Ghanian dancing pallbearers.
There are numerous instances of Asians donning a blackface; they are hardly uncommon in Asia. While the practice may seem close to the condemned western tradition, many believe it is worn without malice and in an attempt to impersonate, not humiliate. They say it’s an innocent act that is viewed through the Western angle of racial segregation. The issue, however, seems to run much deeper.
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