Censor’s chop hangs over Sambo in U.K.

Press, 18 December 1976, Page 14

Censor’s chop hangs over Sambo in U.K.

By

GEORGE BROCK

in London

“Once upon a time, children, there was a little black doll called Sambo. He was quite black, with tight curly black hair, red lips, and a smile which showed his very white teeth.

"When he came to the nursery none of the other toys liked him at all, and he felt sad. He soon knew that the toys didn’t like him because they turned away from him and hardly spoke a word.

“ ‘Why don’t you like me, please tell my why'.” he asked anxiously, for he very much wanted to be friendly.

“ ‘Well, you see, you’re black,’ said the big teddy bear.”

Episodes like this — from a book for children under 10 by the famous British author Enid Blyton — are under attack again. A national committee to combat racism in children’s books has been created. A leading London publisher (ironically, the firm which published the Enid Blyton story about Sambo) announced an award for children’s books and stories reflecting “mutli-ethnic Britain.”

The debate over racialist bias — has already bitten, a similar campaign has been mounted to ; . eradicate sexist bias — has already bitten. Collins Children’s Books, sponsors of the new award, have agreed not to reprint the 1976 edition of “Story Party” by Enid Blyton, after a complaint from Mrs Rosemary Stones of the Children’s Rights Workshop. In

“Little Black Doll,” one of 12 stories first published in 1949, not only does Sambo encounter prejudice in the toyroom, but black children

have to explain their skin colour for the benefit of whites.

Transworld has agreed not. to reprint “Wanderings of Mum fie," by Katherine Tozer, in which John Gingerbread is asked whether he has any education. . . “ ‘No. massa, certainly

not, sah.’ " 'Hem. Well, John Gingerbread, have you seriously applied yourself to the task of scrubbing your face every day in order to get it a bit whiter?’ ” Mrs Stones, a founder member of the National Committee on Racism in Children’s Books, has just published a survey of current children’s rading. Her conclusion: “While almost every publisher now professes to be aware of racial stereotyping and pays lip service to the need for children’s books that reflect different racial minorities with dignity and authenticity, what we find is remarkably few books that can encompass multi-racial reality (as distinct from books with token blacks), and yet a continuing stream of books that contain unacceptable racist stereotypes and omissions.” Mrs Stones admits that while the caricature figures of “Wanderings of Mumfie” may now be rare and facing extinction, subtler bias is still identifiable and publishers are slow to catch up with story-telling from inside minority communities. Credit for much of .the progress so far notched up goes to a Liverpool community relations officer, Mrs Dorothy Kuya, the author, of a book on the subject. "‘Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth.?’ Rosemary Stones says that she is not calling' for censorship or prescriptive writing, but shows a hazy recognition of how deeply

entangled in cultural habits and history are images which can be included as “racial stereotypes.” Her censure extends to the book title “Mumbo Jumbo.” which, she says, “perpetuates the patronising ridicule still shown to Third World languages and cultures in general”. In “Mumbo Jumbo” a multiracial group of children engaged in painting a jungle murai are magically transported into a real jungle. The jungle tribes wave spears, make off with girls and creep along with knives. “Yet again we have the colonial view of the ‘savage’ jungle dweller who is unreasoning, unpredictable, violent, brutal etc.,” said Mrs Stones.

Closely related targets in this month’s war against “isms” are golliwogs — the subject of a short polemic from an official of the Government's Community Relations Commission, The author says that very few mothers of child golliwogowners have thought about the implications which the toys might have on racial attitudes. Suspicious stereotyping is detected on jamjars — in the shape’of the golliwog.symbol of a leading British jam and marmalade manufacturer. Slowly, authors and their subjects are edging closer to reflecting the multi-racial British population. Progress is marked by the publication of “East End At Your Feet,” short stories about Asian and British teenagers in East London by Farrukh Dhondy. There is some way to go however, in what one children’s books’ editor recently dismissed as the current fuss over “sexism, racism, conservatism and rheumatism in children’s books.”— 0.F.N.5., Copyright.