Lewes bonfire society ‘Zulus’ agree to stop blacking up
Group which has followed the tradition since Second World War may now ‘green up’ instead after protests
A BONFIRE society has agreed to stop “blacking up” in its annual Bonfire Night parade after claims that it was insulting to Zulus.
Members of the Lewes Borough Bonfire Society, one of seven groups that stage the parade, have been painting their faces black as part of their “Zulu” costume since the Second World War.
However, they may soon “green-up” instead after Zulu Tradition, a South African dance group scheduled to appear alongside them, asked them to stop using the black face paint and remove other costume elements such as skulls and a dead monkey.
In messages sent to a member of the society, Thanda Gumede, 32, the West Yorkshire-based group’s leader, asked the society to consider “using a different colour that is drastically different from black? Perhaps ‘green up’ or other bright colours?”
He also asked the group to reconsider the skulls and horns worn as part of the costume, which “make us look barbaric”.
In an email sent to Mick Symes, a committee member, he said: “The nose rings and dead monkey costumes are also a gross misrepresentation and unacceptable stereotype of Zulu and black people at large.”
He added: “The power to decide whether Zulu Tradition comes or not is in our hands now.
“If these can’t be met, I’m afraid we would have to reconsider our involvement and that would break my heart.
“I sincerely hope that this is the start of a beautiful relationship and we are looking forward to be part of an event that is all inclusive and free of any racial prejudice as your event is intended to be.”
The committee responded that it had “accepted in full” Mr Gumede’s guidance.
Mr Symes told The Guardian: “We are more than happy to take this advice from Thanda.
“We are very, very happy to say we are making minor but significant alterations based on very meaningful cultural advice from Thanda.”
He added: “I am not going to give a guarantee there will be no ‘blackface’ around.
“But the guarantee I can give is we are bending over backwards to comply with this advice.”
Mr Gumede said he had been pleased by the reaction to his request, and said the society had been very open to changing the costume based on his advice.
“I did not have to pressure or threaten – he did not resist,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
The decision followed a petition entitled “Bonfire against racism”, which asked for an end to the “blackface” costume and has attracted more than 1,600 signatures.
The petition said: “The decision of a small fraction of the membership of Borough Bonfire Society to engage in the offensive practice of blacking up runs counter to the overall spirit of the event.
“This public display of caricatured, negative stereotypes of black Africans within our community is racist and serves only to increase tension and division within our diverse community. “
A rival petition, which has attracted more than 600 signatures, stated: “We the undersigned wish to defend the traditions of Bonfire and reject racism,
‘We are bending over backwards to comply with this advice’
sexism and homophobia. We assert that nothing about the traditions of Bonfire encourages or incites these attitudes and defend the right of each society to self-determination.”
The Lewes bonfire event is the most famous in the country. There are seven bonfire societies, each with its own colours and costumes, who carry effigies of famous or controversial figures which are eventually set alight.