Is Comic Relief actually poverty porn?
Spat between Labour MP David Lammy and BBC documentary-maker Stacey Dooley reignites debate over stereotypes
A row between Labour MP David Lammy and BBC documentary-maker Stacey Dooley has reignited the debate over “poverty porn” and the role of charities such as Comic Relief in perpetuating the “white saviour” stereotype.
Lammy had accused Dooley of spreading “tired and unhelpful stereotypes” about Africa after she travelled to Uganda for an upcoming Comic Relief documentary.
The MP for Tottenham “criticised her on Twitter after she shared pictures on social media of her trip including one of her posing with a young child”, reports The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The term “white saviour” commonly refers to a white person who acts to help non-white people, in ways that are self-serving.
Lammy also appeared on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme, saying: “Charity is a good thing, all of us understand that, but how we do charity is important.”
"Comic Relief is a 20-year-old formula that asks comedians to perform and sends celebrities - most often white - out to Africa, and that image evokes for lots of ethnic minorities in Britain, a colonial image of a white beautiful heroine holding a black child, with no agency, no parents in sight.
"The charity is doing very little to educate the public [about the] emerging middle class in Africa," he added.
The spat began when Lammy responded to pictures posted by Dooley on Instagram, tweeting: “The world does not need any more white saviours... Let’s instead promote voices from across the continent of Africa and have serious debate.”
Lammy said his issue was not “personal” with Dooley and he did not question her “good motives”.
But he said he had a problem with “British celebrities” being flown out to Africa for Comic Relief to make documentary films that send “a distorted image” of the continent and perpetuate “an old idea from the colonial era”.
Dooley, who has made documentaries for the BBC on a wide variety of topics, responded by suggesting the politician should raise awareness of poverty himself.
She tweeted: “David, is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question) ... because if that’s the case, you could always go over there and try [to] raise awareness?
“Comic relief have raised over 1 billion pounds since they started. I saw projects that were saving lives with the money. Kids lives.”
Lammy’s comments come a year after Comic Relief vowed to tackle the white saviour stereotype.
In 2017, a Red Nose Day film fronted by Ed Sheeran, about street children in Liberia, was named the “most offensive” campaign by a fundraising pressure group.
In it, the singer “was seen meeting a young boy before offering to pay for a hotel for him and his friends”, reports the BBC. The Radi-Aid awards said it was almost “poverty tourism”.
After that Liz Warner, the CEO of Comic Relief, told The Guardian they would change tack.
She said new films would show people “in the first person in their own voices, with local heroes and local heroines talking to us about the work they’re doing. You won’t see a celebrity standing in front of people talking about them”, she said.
Dooley’s Strictly Come Dancing partner Kevin Clifton has come to her defence saying: “some are in desperate need of help. If people are in a position to raise money and awareness why should they not just because they are white? You just can’t win for trying to help.”
But what people who have come to Dooley’s defence “haven’t quite grasped is that Lammy isn’t saying that white people shouldn’t help or travel to Africa at all, rather that they should be weary of the old messages that Comic Relief are reinforcing”, says The Independent’s Habiba Katsha.
“For many children, Comic Relief is their first encounter with Africa”, she writes. “Merely showing people images of poverty means that we only ever see Africa in a negative light.”
Comic Relief said in a statement: “We are really grateful that Stacey Dooley, an award-winning and internationally acclaimed documentary-maker, agreed to go to Uganda to discover more about projects the British people have funded there and make no apologies for this.
“She has filmed and reported on challenging issues all over the world, helping to put a much-needed spotlight on issues that affect people's lives daily.
“In her film, people working with or supported by Comic Relief projects tell their own stories in their own words.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 fact-checked cartoons about the VP debate
Cartoons Artists take on civil disagreements, admissions, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Japanese villages where time stood still
The Week Recommends Up to 200 villagers cooperate to thatch a roof in a single day, preserving this beautiful tradition
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: October 6, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can a racially and culturally divided country elect a multi-precedent-setting candidate?
Today's big question Vice President Kamala Harris is facing a wave of personal attacks tinged with racism and sexism
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's Labour Party wins in a landslide
Speed Read The Conservatives were unseated after 14 years of rule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will voter apathy and low turnout blight the election?
Today's Big Question Belief that result is 'foregone conclusion', or that politicians can't be trusted, could exacerbate long-term turnout decline
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published