After consultations and debate in Pointe-Claire, Que., the show will go on.
There had been calls for the children’s play, L’incroyable secret de barbe noire, to be cancelled after some West Island residents felt that a puppet featured in the show depicting Black people was racially problematic.
“What would make me happy is that Pointe-Claire decides that this is not content that they want on their territory,” said Allison Saunders, a Pointe-Claire resident.
Saunders first raised the issue a few weeks ago, after noticing the play would be part of the city’s Black History Month programming.
The show’s artist, a French immigrant with Martiniquan roots, said the puppet is an exaggerated caricature based on himself.
The city removed the play from its Black History Month programming, but says after consultations, council decided it will play at its originally scheduled date.
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The West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA) say they met with the city last week and are disappointed the play wasn’t pulled.
“We showed it to parents who did not want to show it to their children and they found it very offensive and not representative of who we are,” said Joan Lee, WIBCA’s president.
Lee says the issue is specifically with the puppet and the fact that some associate it with blackface..
“Coming from North America, coming from the Caribbean, it kind of reminds us of what we see as a caricature of ourselves and not our actual image,” said Ahmard Lowe, WIBCA office manager.
Pointe-Claire’s mayor, Tim Thomas, says the play — as well as most of its cultural programming — are recommendations from the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), a public body that scouts, supports and funds the creation and production of arts in Montreal.
“We maybe have a unique voice here in Pointe-Claire that needs to be listened to,” said Thomas. “If the Black community in the West Island needs a bigger voice, I would encourage them to get involved with CAM, maybe we can get a dialogue going, where its understanding and interpretation of things can be appreciated in CAM decision making.”
Fo Niemi, executive director for the Centre of Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) says this may be good opportunity to start a larger conversation
“There may be cultural and linguistic differences in the way that French-speaking Black artists and English-speaking Black audiences and viewers see and react to the same artistic creation,” he said.
The play will be performed in Pointe-Claire on Feb. 26.
It’ll also play in Beaconsfield the next day.
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