Furore in South Africa over shampoo AD deemed racist
Africa
PROTESTERS gathered outside several pharmacy chain stores in South Africa on Monday after the company ran a shampoo advertisement that critics slammed as racist.
The AD showed two black women describing their hair as “dry and damaged” and “frizzy and dull,” as well as two white women whose locks were labelled “fine and flat” and “normal,” local media reported.
While the store, Clicks, has issued an apology, a radical opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), called for protests. , saying on their Twitter feed.
“We will not permit the unrepentant and perverse racism of Clicks to go on in South Africa. #clicksmustfall”, they said on their Twitter feed.
Local website TimesLive reported that one store had been petrol-bombed early in the morning, though only minimal damage was caused.
Footage on the EFF’s social media feeds showed small groups of protesters clad in the party’s red berets dancing and singing protest songs in several malls.
On Friday, after the furore over the ad started, Clicks issued an apology.
“We have removed the images which go against everything we believe in. We do not condone racism and we are strong advocates of natural hair,” it said.
Hair is a sensitive issue in many parts of Africa, and in South Africa several years ago, schoolgirls campaigned to be allowed to wear natural hairstyles like dreadlocks, afros and cornrows at school.
The EFF has targeted brands over advertisements they say are racist before.
In 2018, it trashed H&M stores in South African malls after the Swedish company ran an ad in which a black child modelled a shirt saying “the coolest monkey in the jungle.”
NAN
– Sept. 7, 2020 @18:31 GMT |
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