To think Stacey Dooley was right in her response to David Lammy

[CoolCarrie]

“ Africa doesn’t need white saviours” says Lammy commenting on pictures of Stacey Dooley on a comic relief trip. Why pick on her? Loads of celebrities over the years have gone to Africa to show how money is helping the poorest of the poor, and the huge difference it has made over the years.
What Africa does need is governments that are not corrupt and better leaders.

'You continue to miss the point. Flying me, a British politician, out to speak for citizens of a continent I have never lived on is more of the same patronising fluff. Please invite an African filmmaker, celebrity, farmer, teacher or businessperson to make a film in my place.'

That made me giggle slightly. He is of Guyanese descent so probably doesn’t actually know much about Africa. l went to boarding school with a lot of African girls who are the ‘rich Africans’ a lot of people on here are talking about. Many, many, rich Africans spend much or all of their youth in western countries. Most of them probably have more in common with Stacey Dooley than they do with poor Africans.

I think Lammy is actually being really rather racist here himself. The only thing he has in common with poor Africans is race, he’s not of African descent for generations. I’m not sure why he is any better qualified to speak for Africans than Dooley is unless we’re going to go down the path where lived experience and knowledge means nothing and just the colour of your skin matters.

He’s being incredibly patronising and out of touch too. I’m not particularly certain that the image of a poor starving Africa is really one that many middle class Africans are interested in disseminating. Plus, most African filmmakers and celebrities aren’t as wealthy as our celebrities so many not be happy to give a huge chunk of time away for free and as they won’t usually be famous in the UK it won’t really bring them any benefits in terms of brand exposure as it does UK celebrities. I don’t think he’s really thought through the logistics.

Besides that anyway, I find the most racist thing about this whole farago is that middle class white liberals are rushing to agree with him when he is a man who grew up in London who is of South American descent. He is not African! He is British South American! He has no more right to be the voice of Africa than Stacey Dooley does!

But just because he is black, the only actual African voices involved in the whole thing (the ones who said they had no problem) are being silenced in favour of a London based millionaire, purely on the basis that his ancestors may, hundreds of years ago, lived on the same continent as theirs. Not being able to tell the difference between a British-Guyanese man and an African and not understanding why one can’t speak for the other is really, really, really fucking racist yet all our bien pensants seem to be falling over themselves to do it.

And he’s being disingenuous, if this was just about Westerners, why did he use the phrase ‘white saviours’. Furious bit of dog whistling there from David.

Hey, Bejam- you do realise that your post is saying almost exactly what Lammy said?

He is not African! He is British South American! He has no more right to be the voice of Africa than Stacey Dooley does!

A point that has both been acknowledge in the tweet from Lammy you referenced and on this thread. He is not intending to be the voice of Africa any more than he thinks Stacey Dooley should be.

He is not intending to be the voice of Africa any more than he thinks Stacey Dooley should be.

Well in that case, why do we have a thread of people falling over themselves to say how right he is? The only actual Africans involved with this don’t mind. But apparently their opinions don’t matter.

Well in that case, why do we have a thread of people falling over themselves to say how right he is? The only actual Africans involved with this don’t mind. But apparently their opinions don’t matter.

I’m African. I mind.

“Well in that case, why do we have a thread of people falling over themselves to say how right he is?“

He’s right in what he said. Not in what you said he said.

Well in that case, why do we have a thread of people falling over themselves to say how right he is? The only actual Africans involved with this don’t mind. But apparently their opinions don’t matter

Because what he has said does not equate to him speaking for an entire continent. Quite the opposite, he is saying that people in the communities featured on CR appeal videos should have the agency to tell their own stories.

That’s funny, as the African I spoke to yesterday was thrilled this was finally being given airtime - as are his family and friends still living in West Africa.

He’s right about the issue of the white saviour/missionary narrative. Any MP could have made this point, it just so happens that this is a black MP, so people are getting confused because they assume that has something to do with what he’s said and why he’s said it.

This is quite harmful what some people are saying on here, about Africans doing it by themselves, when they clearly need the aid as the Ugandan High Commissioner is saying. Instead of western lefties on here deciding that Africa does not need aid, and what 'white saviours' are doing is patronising, then find out what they need instead of assuming

www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1094283/ITV-This-Morning-Stacey-Dooley-David-Lammy-white-saviour-Comic-Relief-Eamonn-Holmes

What she did wrong was putting it out there on social media, not for trying to help. I agree with BejamNostalgia this type of thing is fuelling the anti white undercurrent that is about. On here, I have seen negative phrases such as 'White saviour' 'White supremacy', it seems embarassing to be white. I am saying this as not a white Anglo Saxon, but of somebody who is of mixed heritage.

@Aeroflotgirl

Who has said Africa does not need aid?

I have seen a couple of posts on here Ribenary stating that we are interfering, and that we should leave Africa alone. All this surrounding Stacey Dooley going out to Africa and the 'white saviour' stereotype. I have seen the negative phrase surrounding people from the west volunteering to help in poorer countries.

Africa is a continent, not a country.

There is huge inequality in many African countries: www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2017/09/21/undp-launches-study-on-income-inequality-in-sub-saharan-africa.html

If Stacey Dooley was a proper journalist she should have ensured she did not become the subject of the story.

From Sardonicsnape

*Voluntourism and white saviours are a real problem. Last year they weren't used in sports relief because this was recognised8

Yes, this isn’t about withdrawing aid, this is about listening to African stories from an African perspective and starting a dialogue about what ‘help’ is actually wanted.

I’ve told a story on MN before about a volunteer raising money and insisting he built a village a bread oven. They didn’t want or need, and have never used, the bread oven. It just sits in their village as a symbol of a white Western man assuming he knew better.

She got it wrong and is being held quite unfairly as an example, there are other celebrities who have done similar to her, who have not been the target of such media frenzy like this.

Absolutely no one is saying Africa doesn’t need aid or that people shouldn’t make charitable donations. What David Lammy is saying - rightfully in my opinion - is that Comic Relief also has a duty to educate about what the real issues are, rather than perpetuating a tired old stereotype of poor Africans. Where’s Comic Reliefs special report on how workers in the diamond mines are exploited?

I like Stacy Dooley a lot and i don’t think this is about her personally but I think that particular image is very dated and in bad taste - the kid looks like a prop.

This is quite harmful what some people are saying on here, about Africans doing it by themselves, when they clearly need the aid as the Ugandan High Commissioner is saying. Instead of western lefties on here deciding that Africa does not need aid, and what 'white saviours' are doing is patronising, then find out what they need instead of assuming

Suggesting that a Ugandan documentary maker could replace Stacey Dooley is not equivalent to saying that aid should not exist.

You are right other celebs have done similar and have been held accountable just as Stacey has she put an instastory up holding an African child with a caption OBSESSED wtf does that even mean? For a woman who reports and makes films on exploitation she really didn't engage her brain well did she ?

I agree with BejamNostalgia this type of thing is fuelling the anti white undercurrent that is about. On here, I have seen negative phrases such as 'White saviour' 'White supremacy'

What about the anti-African sentiments on here like the below?

“what exactly have they been doing to improve their own lot other than slaughtering eachother and living in corrupt regimes which many support?”

“Africa for many of us cunjours up images of starving pot bellied people, baron landscapes , dirty water, uneducated children, ingrained cultural practices and a lot of corruption both locally and at government level.”

Poor people in Africa do need help but the way the continent is portrayed leads to views like the above. It would be beneficial to show the progress that has been made due to economic development AND charity work so people in the west can see a fuller picture.

Totally agree with David Lammy.
Stacey Dooley is a decent woman , but obviously doesn’t understand the complexities of the situation

This is quite harmful what some people are saying on here, about Africans doing it by themselves, when they clearly need the aid as the Ugandan High Commissioner is saying. Instead of western lefties on here deciding that Africa does not need aid, and what 'white saviours' are doing is patronising, then find out what they need instead of assuming

Oh for fuck's sake, nobody has said that Africa does not need aid. If you can point me towards those posts please do, and I'll gladly eat my words.

BejamNostalgia

Plus, most African filmmakers and celebrities aren’t as wealthy as our celebrities so many not be happy to give a huge chunk of time away for free and as they won’t usually be famous in the UK it won’t really bring them any benefits in terms of brand exposure as it does UK celebrities.

WTF?!

I think you have completely the point. What Lammy was saying and what many of his supporters were saying is that

a) it is old fashioned and patronising to pick up a black baby and pose with it for media attention. You wouldn't do that here, pick up a working class white baby as a trophy.

b) Comic relief need to think about how they portray Africa, Comic relief work is done in schools and many black British people feel uncomfortable. It has a job to educate, and it doesn't.

c) The African diaspora in Britain send money back to their countries and this amount far exceeds the whole of the aid budget. But no one talks about that and African babies are seen as victims and something to be pitied.

Your right Ribenary those stereotypes are also very unhelpful and negative. Any stereotyping is unhelpful and negative. It would be helpful to know what progress has been made and what is still needed, instead of Western people going there and assuming they know what the people need and taking over, which I do agree with. At least this has prompted debate and discussion, so that issues are brought to the forefront and can be dealt with properly.

It’s not an anti-white rhetoric. To say that completely supports the notion of the white saviour; that we know best and how dare that be questioned?!

Lammy acknowledged Dooley’s good intentions.

The whole point is that we’ve done some good - now is the time to ask how we do better And for that ‘how’ to come from a thoroughly African discourse, understanding the differences in each country and, most importantly, actually listening.