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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think this Christmas play is a bit racist?

124 replies

CrikeyOReilly · 01/12/2015 00:09

This is the play my kids are in at school this year...

www.musiclinedirect.com/_data/samples/pdf/aba/script%20sample%20ali%20baba.pdf

Harmless 'Carry On' fun or worrying?

OP posts:
Tate15 · 01/12/2015 00:21

Not remotely racist.

Looks like great fun.

gamerchick · 01/12/2015 00:23

How old are the kids because those are some mouthfuls? Seems like a canny script for older ones though.

As far as racist goes.. Every fucking thing is seen as racist these days so the word has little meaning imo.

TheFairyCaravan · 01/12/2015 00:25

How is it racist?

Looks fun to me, too!

Backawaynow2 · 01/12/2015 00:28

Racist? No. Why would you think it was?

And you may need to NC as this could out you and the school.

CremeBrulee · 01/12/2015 00:28

Looks like standard pantomime fare to me. Not really a Christmas show though.

Have you never seen a traditional pantomime like Aladdin OP?

TesticleOfObjectivity · 01/12/2015 00:30

I can't work out what is racist? Nando the chicken seller made me smile.

TheNewStatesman · 01/12/2015 00:30

Hmmmm, why? Because it has the word Bongo in it, and Bongo Bongo Land associations... or...? I don't know, it looks OK to me.

WorraLiberty · 01/12/2015 00:34

Oh thank god I'm not alone.

I ploughed through it all, looking for a hint of racism and thought I'd missed something.

To be fair, it's late and I'm off to bed once I've finished my tea.

sn1ce · 01/12/2015 00:35

I guessed what show you would be talking about before I opened your thread! Our school did this a couple of years ago and we had a few murmurings from a particular parent when they heard the title-they were longing to stir up trouble. Honestly though its just Aladdin under a different name and is entirely innocent

Aliceinwonderlust · 01/12/2015 00:37

I don't think bongo is really appropriate but the post itself doesn't seem racist (not that I am going to read the entire 20 page thing to check )

gamerchick · 01/12/2015 00:39

So you're not going to be that parent are you OP?

Let it drop.

ExBallerina · 01/12/2015 00:43

I don't really see anything racist at all. But a very, very detailed props list.

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 01/12/2015 00:54

I was quite sad it stopped after three pages, I was enjoying it! Looks like typical pantomime fare to me too. There are a couple of jokes which rely on the names being 'foreign' I suppose, but I don't think it counts as racist.

PolkadotsAndMoonbeams · 01/12/2015 00:56

And I'm guessing 'bongo' in the title is actually referring to the percussion instrument?

ohtheholidays · 01/12/2015 01:00

Not racist at all and I'm known as a mix up to our kids Smile(multiple heritage from my parents and ancestors)but very good.I love Nando the chicken seller very funnyGrin

sandyposy · 01/12/2015 01:13

Uh, I disagree. It's not agressively racist; but it is laced with stereotypes. And the 'bongo' name does have racist associations, whether intended in this instance or not. my kids are at a school with many children from an Arabic background. I would be very uncomfortable should the play be performed there, though for reasons above I doubt the staff would consider it appropriate in any case

Senpai · 01/12/2015 03:49

Not racist, but I wouldn't call it PC either. Certainly not something to be offended over either.

I guess the question is, would the school still be comfortable doing it if they were performing in front of an Arabic group of people? If yes, it's fine. If not, they might want to change it.

millionsmom · 01/12/2015 04:07

This would go down a storm here - the Middle East.
Racist no, but playing the stereo types sure.
The more I see of the world, the more I see how close to reality the stereo types are. It's not a bad thing, it just is my experience of it. I don't get offended when the Western lady of a certain age stereo type occurs, I sometimes AM her!

NaughtToThreeSadOnions · 01/12/2015 04:18

I must admit the title did give me that "ugh that's not ok". But if bongo is the drums, rather than racist term. Yep it's just panto.

sandy have you ever seen panto, every panto is not just laced but packed absolutely full of stereotypes. Not just the racial ones in Aladin (wishy washy is always Chinese, anti Arabic) but you could say the portrayal of the ugly sisters is homophobic (well at least anti trans.) panto isn't rewlly meant to be PC.

M1nniedriver · 01/12/2015 04:34

Sometimes I just want to step off this planet for good Hmm. Racist? You must be joking? Surely? Please tell me you are!!

Birdsgottafly · 01/12/2015 07:06

Some of it is very cleaver, other bits could encourage the piss taking of Arabic names, which you hear a lot.

Same with using "Bongo".

I hope the children are educated to know that Bongo Bongo is a racial slur and Bongo drums actually come from Cuba.

I agree with you OP.

00100001 · 01/12/2015 07:11

YABU

Bunbaker · 01/12/2015 07:13

My first thought that the word bongo was referring to the drums, and not a racist stereotype. I can't imagine that anyone in education in the UK would deliberately stage something that was obviously racist these days.

GruntledOne · 01/12/2015 07:21

Sometimes I just want to step off this planet for good

M1nnie, you've been reading too many Daily Mail comment columns.