David Harewood on Blackface: The Hidden Story of Minstrelsy on SBS Viceland – This is the story of how racial mockery became entertainment and how it lasted so long. It’s a transatlantic story and one that is told by one of Britain’s foremost actors who straddles both cultures.
David Harewood reveals how it is racism made literally into an art form.
But until recently it was one of the most popular forms of entertainment ever created.
Originating in the Southern United States, minstrelsy evolved from an African American musical tradition into a form of racist mockery.
As its cast of characters were curated by white performers it became both a battleground for abolition and a comfort zone for xenophobic ridicule.
In the UK, it dominated Victorian culture and was so popular as the BBC’s Saturday night hit that The Black and White Minstrelsy Show ran for 20 years and became the most seen stage show in the world! It was not merely a reflection of American racism; it was one of the great engines of that racism.
David Harewood on Blackface: The Hidden Story of Minstrelsy on SBS Viceland and SBS on Demand – Premiere / Wednesday 21 February at 9.25pm
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