I’ve faced a flood of abuse, says Cambridge diversity campaigner
Bruno quicksteps back after LA party
BRUNO TONIOLI was today jetting back from Los Angeles to London to film this week’s Strictly Come Dancing after missing his first show in 13 years.
Tonioli, 61, was photographed at LAX Airport smoking a cigarette hours after he was seen partying on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip with friends including model Matt Law, 29, and TV presenter Lizzie Cundy, 47. The trio’s outing was their second night out in a row, with the group spotted partying in West Hollywood the day before.
Bruno had previously insisted he would be back in time for Saturday’s episode, writing online: “You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”
He had missed last Saturday’s show due to his work commitments on the US version Dancing With
The Stars. But Strictly fans were reassured the veteran judge would not miss a second episode of the BBC talent show. A BBC spokeswoman said: “Bruno will be back in time for this Saturday’s show. He was only ever going to be away for one episode.
“He will be back as normal for our Halloween special and the rest of A CAMPAIGNER at the University of Cambridge today told of how she has been subjected to a flood of racist and sexist abuse following her call to “decolonise” the institution’s English literature curriculum.
Academics are considering including more black and ethnic minority writers in an English course after north London graduate Lola Olufemi penned a letter calling for more diversity.
But today Ms Olufemi told BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour that she had received racist and sexist insults since speaking out, saying: “There was widespread support from people but also abuse. My Facebook and email was flooded with racist and sexual abuse.”
Ms Olufemi said her reaction to seeing herself become the story was one of “shock and general dismay and disbelief ”. She added that her letter contained “very reasonable requests” and that “targeted abuse” undermined the campaign.
The Student Union’s women’s officer, an English graduate, wrote an open letter titled “Decolonising the English Fac- the series.” Despite a punishing transatlantic commute to appear on the UK and US series, Tonioli had not missed an episode until last week. Law, who has 78,000 Instagram followers, is signed to Nevs, the same modelling agency as Strictly star Aljaž Škorjanec. ulty” which was signed by 150 students and presented as a petition to the university.
The letter said: “For too long, teaching English at Cambridge has encouraged a ‘traditional’ and ‘canonical’ approach that elevates white male authors at the expense of all others.”
Earlier today, Ms Olufemi, who went to Enfield County school in north London, also countered claims that she had “forced” the university to change its curriculum or sideline white authors.
She said the letter was written to “[push] the faculty to decentre white authors and to give the same moral and intellec tual weight to BME authors and stories from the Global South”.
She added: “Decolonising is about critiquing the current curriculum in order to make it better, it is about expanding our notions of ‘good’ literature so it doesn’t always elevate one voice, one experience, one way of being in the world. It is a long and meaningful process.
“Not only have no offic ial changes to the curriculum been made by the faculty as of yet, the attempt to reframe any changes as ‘caving into demands’ positions BME students as aggressors and is intended to start a moral panic about white men disappearing from reading lists — when this is not what is being proposed.
“We are asking for the recognition that English literature is not only the literature of white men and for this to be reflected in how we study it.”
Ms Olufemi has been attacked on social media since her actions were reported.
Cambridge issued a statement in support of Ms Olufemi, condemning all harassment directed towards her. It said: “Academic discussions are at a very early stage to look at how post-colonial literature is taught.
“Changes will not lead to any one author being dropped — that is not the way the system works at Cambridge…
“There is no set curriculum as tutors individually lead the studies of their group of students and recommend their reading lists — those reading lists can include any author.”
The proposal to expand the English curriculum is part of a larger, university-wide Decolonise Cambridge campaign which aims to challenge approaches to how texts are taught. @_annadavis