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.

I wonder if he even knows Stacey Dooley is a documentary film maker rather than a fluffy celebrity.

Like it or not having a well-known celebrity advocate for a charity WILL attract more attention and funding - look at all the charities falling over themselves for Royal patronage.

Picking on young women is a thing for labour politicians these days, Annie. They reckon it’s a good look.
Just ask Luciana Berger.

I think Lammy is right about the general principle.

However, he was wrong to single out Dooley (and by naming her specifically he was the one who made it personal, not her - it is disingenuous of him to try to imply that she's the one making it personal when she chooses to respond to someone who has mentioned her by name).

Dooley has done some absolutely excellent investigative reporting - for instance her film on domestic violence in Russia. She's one of these people who gets to the heart of issues by engaging with people as individuals and drawing out their story, rather than treating them as simply "one of a group", so to single her out seems particularly unfair.

If Lammy had said that the tendency of Red Nose day as a whole to favour the "white saviour" narrative was wrong, I'd have been behind him all the way.

Because she posted posed photos/videos to her SM that is what he is getting at westerners swooping in saving the day then telling the world about it.

CR is mostly about ordinary people (who don't always have a lot of money themselves) trying to help other ordinary people. It's not political and David Lammy has made it so. SD isn't really a celebrity, she's an investigative journalist - I think aiming his criticism at her was a cheap shot. She is just trying to help. And these countries seem to need it. If Lammy is actively helping then fair enough, bit if he's sitting on his arse here, just criticising, then Dooley has a point.
All I can see happening is that people will say in response to Lammy that if African nations want to sort their own problems, then crack on without CR money or foreign aid. But they aren't - hence the number of maternal deaths in Uganda. Sure, not everyone in African nations is poor and dying prematurely, but enough are that the important thing is to do what we can to put a stop to it and worry about tropes and stereotypes when kids aren't losing their lives.

Maybe Lammy expected Dooley to think it through a bit more? As in, she can't use the ignorance excuse, she's a professional journalist who understands images and their manipulation.

I would be unhappy if she had in any way been 'targeted ' as a woman. Is there any evidence for this?

And tbh, comparing him to Lenny Henry is just proving his point about surface stereotyping.

But apparently ‘surface stereotyping’ Stacey Dooley as a ‘white saviour’ is okay?

I would think Stacey Dooley probably has a bit more insight into the lives of poor people than a private schoolboy ex-barrister.

Besides, what do you do when you’re visiting a family and their child comes up and wants to interact with you? You pick them up. It would be abnormal not to.

I think Richard Curtis also had a fairly big hand in founding CR ...

He's correct in general..getting a bit fed up of seeing Ronan Keating or Claire Sweeney looking sad with African children...then all smiles as they mob and hug them.

I think now there needs to be two shows..one fun, one serious. Maybe 'fun' on BBC1 and 'serious' on BBC 2 .

The problem is that Comic Relief hasn't moved on from the pre-internet times in which it was founded. The celebrity-with-child style of campaign served a purpose back then, as it genuinely raised awareness of poverty in developing countries in an age before images of poverty were widely accessible at the touch of a screen. But times have changed and so should Comic Relief - that style of campaign is no longer appropriate.

I completely agree with David Lammy.

The 'corrupt African governments' line that is so frequently trotted out belies the fact that past European Colonisation left countries with problems that will take generations to fix, particularly those countries that were later 'given' independence and left with no stable infrastructure. Add to that the crippling debts these countries owe to their past colonists then is easy to see why economic growth is an issue.

Then when celebs from these countries fly over presenting themselves as a helping to solve the problem as a selfless act without any recognition of the UK's (or France/Portugal/Spain) involvement in causing the situation it perpetuates the myth. There are thousands of people in various African countries doing great work to help many people. They should be given a platform to share what they've been doing. There's a world of a difference between using your influence to highlight someone else's good work and a shot of you crying in a malaria clinic to get yourself more publicity. If anyone saw the recent Sasha Baron Cohen thing where z list celebs were asked to pretend they'd been on an aid mission and discuss it on camera, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Yes the money raised from Red Nose Day is great but the current formula perpetuates the myth that Africa is a one dimensional place with a corrupt government and lazy men causing their problems but luckily Ed Sheehan's on his way over because nobody there is helping themselves. No one is saying don't help if you're white they're saying change the formula please to give a more accurate picture of the situation.

“Picking on young women is a thing for labour politicians these days,“

She’s a 32 year old investigative reporter-no need to patronise her like that!

Besides, what do you do when you’re visiting a family and their child comes up and wants to interact with you? You pick them up

I wouldn't have that scene photographed and I certainly wouldn't stick it on social media.

And that wasn't Dooley's family.

I think what he's saying is that African comedians can present from Africa and Stacey Dooley and co can present from the UK

OutComeTheWolves Thank you for that excellent post.

(And don't forget the Belgians.)

(And the Dutch.)

(And the Germans.)

@OutComeTheWolves

Agree completely.

Yes, that was an excellent post OutComeTheWolves.

I agree with him and that was my instinct as soon as I saw the picture of her with the child. I remember feeling very uncomfortable watching Ed Sheeran in Liberia two years ago and have just read that he received similar criticism at the time.

I agree with David Lammy. I've stopped watching CR because of the David Brent cringefest factor. I just can't take it.

Raise money, show where that money is going. Let the project leaders show us what's happening and explain the outcomes. If you need a celeb, they can host, do interviews, sponsored stuff or the funny skits. They don't need to hug "orphans" or dance with the "grateful natives".

the fact that past European Colonisation left countries with problems that will take generations to fix, particularly those countries that were later 'given' independence and left with no stable infrastructure. Add to that the crippling debts these countries owe to their past colonists then is easy to see why economic growth is an issue.

Indeed and I'd also add lot of Africa's wealth and natural resources are still being plundered by multinationals.

I think he makes a good point but I also think he picked the wrong person to make it around.

As others have said, Dooley has a track history of proper investigative journalism and has reached a younger and previously less aware audience, for which she should be applauded.

He could have made his point without attaching his tweets to that specific picture of a white woman. It does unfortunately smack of picking on an easy target. Whether he MEANT to do so is a different question but, IMO, doesn't take away from the fact that it is not a good look for Lammy.

“As others have said, Dooley has a track history of proper investigative journalism ”

And so should bloody well know better. She’s not an 18 year old member of the latest girl band-she’s a 32 year old investigative journailst. What’s with this “easy target” nonsense?

I do like Stacey dooley and what she does but she did start life on on a reality programme lets not pretend she isn't a "sleb

This pisses me off. When I saw the photo, I just see a woman holding a child ffs. The child's colour doesn't register. Lammy is the rascist here imvho. Is it just me?