The cowlicked boy reporter’s troubles have spread to the country of South Africa, where The Associated Press reports Human & Rousseau have nixed plans to release an Afrikaans edition of “Tintin in the Congo” due to complaints about its alleged racist content:
“We felt that it depicted indigenous African people in an unflattering … stereotypical fashion,” said spokesman Carina Diedericks-Hugo was quoted as saying on the SABC news Web site. “We felt that we have a particular situation in South Africa and that depiction of indigenous people, we can’t agree with that.”
In the book, author Remi depicts the white hero’s adventures in the Congo against the backdrop of an idiotic, chimpanzee-like native population that eventually comes to worship Tintin—and his dog—as gods.
The English edition of the book will still be available, printed with a warning noting readers to the potentially offensive content.
July 31st, 2007 at 6:06 am
As it happens, I was in Borders in London over the weekend. I can confirm that Tintin in Congo is not in the children’s section anymore; it’s in the “new releases” section right at the front of the shop - one of the first things you see when you walk in.
I guess they think that no publicity is bad publicity.
July 31st, 2007 at 9:25 am
It would have been useful to precise that this story was first published in 1930 (and the color version was made in 1946)…
Some readers - relatively unaware of who Tintin ou Hergé are - could believe it’s a recent work.