A Polish TV talent show has said it was “very surprised” by stinging criticism after a number of white performers appeared in blackface.
The show is called Your Face Sounds Familiar and sees contestants dress up as their favourite music performers and impersonate their hits to win a cash prize.
Some contestants even resorting to prosthetics and facial make-up that is tantamount to blackface.
Blackface is a racist practice in which non-black people paint their skin darker to resemble a black person. The performance often perpetuates negative and reductive stereotypes.
Recent performers on the show to have been guilty of blackface include contestants dressed as Bill Withers (above), Drake (main photo) and even a white woman impersonating Stevie Wonder (below).
Addressing criticism, its producers wrote on the show’s Instagram page: “Dear Viewers, we are very surprised with the number of negative comments regarding the TV show Your Face Sounds Familiar.”
It added that the participants “strive to be as close to the original as possible” and that the contestants’ aim is to deliver a rendition of the “original performance in the most precise manner, while honouring the original artist”.
You can read the full response at the end of this article.
However, social media users were less than impressed with the response.
One person wrote: “One word IGNORANCE. Can’t believe we are still dealing with blackface in 2021. The audacity to even defending this act [sic] clueless and not acknowledge the issue is astonishing.”
Another added: “Lol y’all still never apologised. we don’t care about intent, it’s about the effect and it clearly shows how UNEDUCATED and unaware you all are about the origination of these racist trends.”
One person wrote: “Basically they aren’t sorry, they’ve done it in the past and didn’t catch any heat so they’ll do it again.”
“They said all that and still didn’t even acknowledge the problem. Do they not see how it’s racist?? Just because they’ve been doing it for years, it doesn’t mean it’s okay. A big big tv show as well, they need to do better,” another said.
