Firstly, a bit of history. Blackface has been around for hundreds of years. In the 1840’s, black actors were often told they were “not black enough”, and had to use polish or burned cork to darken themselves. They then had to exaggerate any stereotypes to create the humour and had to degrade themselves. It then got a little bit out of hand:

“Black people then started with minstrelsy themselves, and started caricaturing the caricatures in white minstrelsy. The result was a rather complex comedy that involved black people being entertained by black people pretending to be white people lampooning black people – a level of Russian-doll absurdity that takes some doing to unravel.”

Also, South African Boeremusiek originated with Boere people painting their faces black when singing, to hide.

“If a white person finds a white person in blackface humorous, that does not necessarily mean that it is universally ‘funny’ or ‘just a joke’. Humour can be violent, and blackface often plays on the double-edge of race.”

Which brings us back to the now. Is it ever alright? I got into quite a heated debate with some friends, who find it incredibly offensive. I wasn’t quite sure why, as I understood it to be harmless dress-up, and then one of them explained it to me. She said that it’s a bit more controversial than your standard dress-up, and that it has to do with racial stereotyping and othering, which is turning someone’s race into a joke.
Another argues that surely there has to be a difference between dressing up in fancy dress and someone using a very old method of depicting a black person in theatre – so one has racial connotations and the other doesn’t.

Apparently there is a very fine, if not an invisible line, between the two.

Marelise van der Merwe says that two key points now arise. The first is that “racial caricatures are still being used as a ‘humour’ tool today because of, and not despite, our ongoing anxiety around race, given our pained history”. The second is that because of this history, sensitivity is essential.

Jonathan Jansen says that “race provokes a great deal of anxiety in individuals and in societies at large, particularly in contexts with deeply marked racial histories such as South Africa and the United States”.

South Africa has massive race issues that need to be dealt with, if they even can be dealt with. I think for now we just need to think before we act, which so many people fail to do. Think if you would like to be made fun of, especially if it is about your race, which is something you cannot change. Would dressing up in blackface offend you if the roles were reversed? If it would offend you, then just don’t do it. Be sensitive to other people’s opinions. You don’t have to agree with them, to each their own as the saying goes, but respect to others always goes a long way.

And, no, I don’t think it is ever fine to make fun of somebody, regardless of race or hair colour or weight.

Read Marelise’s article on The Daily Maverick