Obscene costumed volunteers handing out summer reading at Redbridge library

[WombOfOnesOwn]

A library had a man in a rainbow monkey costume, with a dildo penis and a fake exposed butt, handing out summer reading books.

Look at this obscene sex clown mocking and terrorising local Muslim women:

twitter.com/HasAhmed_/status/1413931013340807172/photo/2

The library is, of course, apologizing about it now:

twitter.com/RedbridgeLibs/status/1413975910433366020

But during the event, they thought it was pretty funny:

twitter.com/turtillachip/status/1414255270038016009

What is happening? Why should parents going to the library's summer reading program worry that THIS is what they'll see? The website for this troupe of "performers" clearly shows this monkey performer with his fake penises inch from children's faces. There has been no vetting. No safeguarding.

And there'll just be an apology, another "isolated incident." Of course, the local Muslim women and girls know exactly what this library thinks of them now, and what may happen to them if they choose to even walk nearby. Do we think they're going to want to go in?

The fact that these people weren't immediately thrown out of the library shows just how much that institutional and societal capacity has been eroded

Yes and it’s absolutely terrifying.

Also, I don't think giant monkey costume with schlong is really the pinnacle of edu-tainment for kids.

It seems more of an act for drunken tired and emotional adults.

Are the Mama G events at Redbridge library (organised by the same company) just for adults?

@PurgatoryOfPotholes

If an assorted bunch of mumsnetters can find out this stuff in a couple of hours, why couldn't the people actually paying the carnival group also do the same googling?

1. No grasp that this would be a sensible thing to do. This suggests senior management have not put safeguarding policies in place, or if they have, they've totally failed to ensure they're being followed.

1. Effect of council cuts. Libraries have suffered badly. Very few qualified librarians, not even all that many low-paid library assistants. Lots of volunteers. Difficult to enforce training, professionalism etc on volunteers.

1. The effect of #nodebate, #bekind, #acceptancewithoutexception and other mantras is to make many fearful of asking questions, as they equate it with being hateful.

Plus they could have just checked after they emerged from the changing room and spotted the bloke in a costume with a giant schlong hanging out.

But the person from the library who was tweeting thought it was hilarious.

@PaterPower

“Its men jumping around it their horrible fucking outfits taking the piss out of our kids.”

It’s a man at the library, yes, but if you look at pictures of the “troupe” and read through some of their SM posts you’ll see there are female members too. And they’re dressed the same way.

The female members have prosthetic penises and a costume showing plastic buttocks? Really?

But don’t they pay the dildo monkey people to come into their libraries

Spend the money better I would think

www.mandingaarts.co.uk

Seems all pics of bare-arsed dildo monkeys have been removed. Nothing to see here!

@OldCrone

Plus they could have just checked after they emerged from the changing room and spotted the bloke in a costume with a giant schlong hanging out.

But the person from the library who was tweeting thought it was hilarious.

Jeez. Is he 12?

Apart from anything else, this is a borough where nearly a quarter of residents are Muslim. Didn't it occur to anybody in the library service to consider whether this performance would be be culturally sensitive and inclusive of all ethnic groups and all religious groups?

@unwashedanddazed

www.mandingaarts.co.uk

Seems all pics of bare-arsed dildo monkeys have been removed. Nothing to see here!

But Mandingo means penis.

Or is there another defintion?

@unwashedanddazed

www.mandingaarts.co.uk

Seems all pics of bare-arsed dildo monkeys have been removed. Nothing to see here!

That is very odd. I would have assumed that they would have stood by their art.

I would not be setting foot in that library again. What the hell are they thinking?

Those poor women walking by him while he sticks his fake arse and penis in their faces.

How is this encouraging children to read? Why on earth is some kind of rainbow monkey with arse cheeks, fake breasts and big nipples, and a dildo something that the library condone?

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Apart from anything else, this is a borough where nearly a quarter of residents are Muslim. Didn't it occur to anybody in the library service to consider whether this performance would be be culturally sensitive and inclusive of all ethnic groups and all religious groups?

It certainly didn't occur to the performers...

I think it's Mandinga which is related to capoeira rather than Mandingo.

@WombOfOnesOwn

twitter.com/Mandinga_Arts1/status/1365662051369115655

The group now calls itself "Mandinga Arts" (look up what "mandingo" porn is if you want to know what this is about), but it was previously a specifically "Pride"-invoking group name and explicitly LGBT. They even use the same costumes!

Now they are trying to use the cover of being just some Carnival-inspired group, whatever makes it easier to get close to children without proper safeguarding, I suppose.

Oh Christ

Indeed not! That picture is utterly shocking.

[quote OldCrone]This is a carnival company called Mandingo arts who have no connection to the LGBT

twitter.com/Mandinga_Arts1/status/627429854439440384[/quote]
I can't spot any dildos in that image, or the previous ones. When were they introduced?

@Clymene

I can see at least two dildos on the monkeys here. How charming

It appears are photos on their site when the monkeys don’t have those additions.

twitter.com/DocKilmer/status/1414333233114845187?s=20

But Mandingo means penis.

Or is there another defintion?

I think it's more likely to be this:

Different than the literal translation given by the Brazilian Portuguese dictionary, the word Mandinga has its own meaning in the capoeira world. The Aurelio dictionary translates the word mandinga as a “magic” or “spell.” In some senses that meaning applies to capoeira, but in a different context.

"Mandinga in the capoeira environment means, amongst many things, the hidden power that one has to disguise their real intention and to trick the opponent. It is a way to invoke some forces to blur the opponent’s vision of reality almost like hypnotizing him/her into a trance-like state so that they can’t see what is coming. It can also be magic like a trick that confuses and distracts the opponent. However, much more than any of the above meanings the word mandinga have a very special meaning as a way of referring to capoeiristas that are very expressive in their game and know how to embellish their jogo* with beautiful and impressive gestures. These gestures are sometimes very theatrical, sometimes like a primitive dance, and sometimes imitating all kinds of animals (e.g. monkey, jaguar, snake, eagle, bull, and many others)."

From here:

mandinga.org/capoeira/mandinga/

This is just so many kinds of wrong. Never mind how this would have traumatised me as a child, I'd be traumatised by it as an adult - it's a library, in the daytime, not some bloody seedy after dark art show. Grim. Just grim. That anyone would try to normalise a swinging cock letalone the bum and nipples. I fucking despair.

So sometimes the monkeys have bums and sometimes they add dildos. And for a show for kids, they add dildos.

BUT ALSO...if they were promoting the book Monkey and me it doesn't even look like a monkey...oh my head...