Japanese publisher defies Little Black Sambo protest

[kskiska]

Seventeen years after it was removed from bookshops for its racist content, the children's story Little Black Sambo has made a comeback in Japan.

The tale of Sambo, a boy who uses his wits to survive after being stalked by tigers, was a hit in Japan when it was first published here in 1953.

In 1988, Japanese booksellers agreed to remove it from their shelves after a US-led campaign against its racist language and imagery.

(snip)

In the late 1890s Helen Bannerman, a Scot, wrote Little Black Sambo for her children while they were living in India.

"Times have changed since the book was removed," Zuiunsha's president, Tomio Inoue, told the Guardian. "Black people are more prominent in politics and entertainment, so I don't think this book can be blamed for supporting racial stereotypes. We certainly had no intention of insulting black people.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1506575,00.html

[hlthe2b]

1. I remember this book when I was too young to read...

and was only looking at the pictures, especially of the tigers.... I never knew what the fuss was about or that it was racist because no one ever read it to me, at least as I recall.. As a result, I can't help but admit to having some nostalgic memories of it.... There may be others whose impression of the book was limited and thus naive'. I'm not defending it in its current context and interpretation, obviously.

[kskiska]

3. The book had nothing to do with Africans

Africa has no tigers. India does. The British referred to Indians as "Blacks."

[psychopomp]

2. NOT surprised at all

The way Africans are portrayed on prime-time tv shows in Japan is especially sad. African men are encouraged to bug their eyes out and act like simpletons for the gratification of the viewing public.

Black-face is not understood to be offensive in Japan and people do not bat an eyelash when it is done in public. I personally have seen it, most recently at a nationally-famous parade. A newspaper had a contingent (I engineered their marching song lol) with a reggae theme and all the guys had blackface with fake dreadlocks under tams.:eyes:

OTOH all the "in" 20-something guys want to be b-boys or imitate a Jamaican fashion and the girls they chase get afro perms or wear dreadlocks they paid 600 dollars for to get permed and styled at a beauty salon lol.

[psychopomp]

4. On the topic of the book itself

Seeing as how it was written about an Indian I don't see how it is an offensive story to African Americans (I am one). All you have to do is look at the story and you, too, will agree that it is no big deal.

The fact that the character is called "black" really isn't offensive to me.:shrug:

http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/sambo.htm

[Geo55]

5. Yep....read it when I was a kid ,

just re-read it....no biggy for me , actually the kid was pretty clever in dealing with the narcissistic tigers.

[psychopomp]

7. I think it's a cute story

I am not one to make an issue of this book.

[saigon68]

22. Haak Yahn Nga Gou (Black Man Toothpaste)

In Japan, "Darkie" toothpaste with its image of a wide eyed, big lipped African-American male on the box was sold as late as the 1980's. Finally complaints by Westerners resulted in a name change and the packaging being altered to reflect a contemporary African American male.

Hong Kong's Hazel & Hawley Chemical Co. would probably still be hawking Darkie toothpaste had the company not been acquired by Colgate. The Darkie brand's Al Jolson-inspired logo, a grinning caricature in blackface and a top hat, was as offensive as its name. Colgate bought the company in 1985, and then ditched the logo and changed the product's name to Darlie after US civil rights groups protested. However, the Cantonese name - Haak Yahn Nga Gou (Black Man Toothpaste) - remains.

[Journeyman]

13. That was the impression I took away from it as a child. . .

Sambo seemed a very clever young boy, brave and resourceful. I didn't see anything negative or racist about it, though I was fortunate to have been raised by a Mother who tried to instill in her children the best of values. I haven't read it in decades but everytime the subject comes up I wonder if those who oppose it do so for valid reasons or from their own perceptions.

[Mist]

14. Loved the story when I was little - but always got hungry - they all

ate pancakes at the end of the story!

[hlthe2b]

19. Thanks for validating my recollection as well....

I hate having to apologize for remembering (fondly) something that was so innocent to me as a child.

[RC]

8. Thank you

I have been looking for years to find a copy to see for myself what the problem was all about.
I had a Golden Book of this when I was a kid.

[alarcojon]

6. I could swear I saw the book in the States

at a Border's maybe five months ago.

on edit: you can get it off their website

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1929766556/qid=1118803417/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-1537173-4103269

[pocket]

9. I remember the restaraunt

I ate one as a little kid back in the 70s.

Pancakes, of course.

[BiggJawn]

11. A friend of mine always wrote "Change your NAME!" on the suggestion...

...cards.

Somewhere around here I think I have a first or second edition of that book. Sambo and his family are depicted as the typical 1920's characature of black people (big lips, bugged eyes, frizzy hair) Even though Sambo gets over BIG time on the tigers...

I remember "Sambo" being a pejorative in the 60's and 70's...

[alarimer]

16. I remember these too

In fact I also remember getting sick in one when I was little so I guess it wasn't very good! But they all went out of business or changed their names.

[LeighAnn]

20. Sambo's!

Found that on this page

http://www.joebates.com/nostalgia/incorrect.htm

"Politically Incorrect Nostalgia"

[truth2power]

10. Read it when I was a kid. Was one of my favorite stories.

Don't mean to offend, but I never understood what the problem was.

And while we're on the subject, more or less, I also grew up having seen the movie, "Song of the South", i.e. Uncle Remus stories. I loved that movie, one of my favorite parts being Brer Rabbit saying to Brer Bear , "Please...please, don't throw me in that briar patch." when that's where he would be most protected. Clever rabbit! And Brer Bear saying "I'm gonna knock his head cleeen off." And, of course, the 'tar baby'. I admit to not understanding what's racist about it, but I haven't seen it in a loooong time.

I don't think it's possible to get the video anymore, and from a nostalgia point of view, that saddens me. Brer Bear and Brer Fox have a secure place in folktales, by the way, and their adventures still appear in literature texts in the schools. Last time I looked, anyway.

[kskiska]

12. I remember "Song of the South," too

with Jiminy Cricket singing Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. I must have seen it back in the late 40s when I was very young. My dad used to read me Uncle Remus stories, with Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear, and one story about hitching a ride across the river on the back of an alligator (a version of the "it's my nature" fable, when the gator turns on the rider).

[truth2power]

15. Yes, and Uncle Remus

was a person who commanded respect, IMO, because he carried the stories of the culture. If that video is available somewhere, I sure would like to find it.

edit> I remember the gator story, too.

[merwin]

18. I'm a HUGE song of the south fan. You wouldn't believe how much

a real copy of the british version is :-) On the plus side, thanks to fair use laws (that I think still exist... for now) I was able to put it into a more watchable format in the USA.

It was a very big part of my family when i was young (the 80s) and we even went to see it in the theatres.

From what I understand, they might be releasing the DVD version very soon for the 60th anniversery.

http://www.songofthesouth.net has more details about that. Just an insider rumor at the moment, but we can hope...

[hlthe2b]

21. Song of the South is apparently the #1 request for DVD at

Amazon...(and elsewhere, I'd imagine). Disney will eventually have to "get over it." I don't tolerate racial stereotypes or bigotry in the present, but I do believe in taking books, movies, music, in context of the time they were created.

One of the saddest things to me (not to change the subject too much) is the fact that Haddie McDaniel (the wonderful character actress and the first African American woman to win an Oscar for her role as Mammie in GWTW) has been so discounted by those who want to be so politically correct. That she won for a role that depicts an African American woman in a way that would certainly be demeaning in today's standards, is not the point-- at least in my humble opinion. She portrayed the role in the context within which it was written and presented, with skill and dignity, IMO. When Halle Barry won her Oscar and fulminated emotionally over her own achievements while totally ignoring Haddie-- I was really angry and for the life of me, I don't understand. I've always loved and respected Haddie McDaniel for her amazing achievements against the odds of the time.

[chalky]

17. I remember reading a story similar to this in Time mag back in the 90's

They may have agreed to remove the book from the shelves back in '88, but Sambo was still popular. To the Japanese, Sambo was on a par with Betty Boop. They thought he was cute and continued to feature him on T-shirts and purses in Japan.

The problem arose when Japanese tourists, in their ignorance, wandered the American streets wearing their Sambo shirts and accessories. A lot of Americans didn't find their outfits "cute". As I recall, several assaults on Japanese tourists were attributed to their sporting Sambo-wear.

[Maine-ah]

23. I had that book when I was a kid.

I think, it originally belonged to a great-grandparent. My family still has that original book. I think I'll go back and read it again. I always thought it was a story about a boy who out-smarted the tigers. I guess it never clicked (as a small child) that it was racist. My family is certainly not a bunch of racists.

[Zech Marquis]

24. when I lived in Japan

I did hear about these books and stereotypes. So how did I confront it? Simple--i neevr did talk like a Jamacian reggae singer, I did't act stupid, and I certainly didnt dance for the women :evilgrin:instead I began to learn Japanese and today I still have the accent of a japanese guy ho speaks with a black guy's fluency :bounce: no kiding! i even had Japanese women in their mid 20s try to get my phone number in front of my teacers, classmates, and PARENTS all the time, simply by me just minding my own business..and I was just 16, 17 then! My current lady friend is Japanese, and when I visit her in the spring, oh boy! I personally look forward to destroying those stereotypes and winning over people just y being myself. If a japanese wants to get nto reggae or black culture, I say great. Nothing wrong with that at all. So my advice is, don't let Sambo or some other crap define you in Japan or anywhere else-- Know yourself, and define yourself :-)