Why ban "Little Black Sambo"?Feb 27 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Censorship is not very helpful, since the censor also
has prejudices. It is much better to have critical debate
on books which are of questionable value.
Little Black Sambo is just one of my childhood favourites which will not be on any school library's shelves nowadays. This is one book which many people consider racist, but is it? "Little Black Sambo" is the story of a black boy who has a new outfit and meets a tiger in the jungle who wants his new clothes for himself. So Little Black Sambo takes off all his clothes one by one and the tigers put them on. Then when there are no clothes left, the tigers argue as to who is the grandest. They chase after each other until all that's left is a pool of grease which Little Black Sambo takes home. His mother cooks pancakes for all the family with the ghee and everyone is happy. So which part of this book is racist? The title? According to my dictionary, Sambo is a nickname for negro, and perhaps it does have derogatory racial overtones nowadays, but I would argue that this was not the writer's intention. Just as my great aunt used the term, "coloured" as a courtesy title for black people, this term has totally fallen out of favour. So, the book is banned because of the title. Certainly, to me it's a tale of covetousness and greed, of scary wild animals and happy family times. It has all the ingredients of a good story - suspense, strong plot and the illustrations are bold and colorful. And I wonder how many other books are banned because of a tiny part which is not acceptable nowadays. I certainly would hate to go back to the days where there is discrimination on racial grounds, but books must be seen in the context they were written in, and if there are parts which need to be explained, then explain - don't just ban. When books are banned, it often gives them more publicity, and then books of questionable quality may get more prominence than they deserve. Who isn't intrigued by the forbidden? As a librarian, I stand for free access to all kinds of materials. I remember a friend telling me that he asked for a biography of Casanova and the librarian told his wife who was working in the library that he must be a pervert, when in fact he was doing legitimate research. One of the great things about my own school days was the excellent libraries which I experienced. And, interestingly enough, I learnt a lot about the "facts of life" from the "Children's Encyclopaedia Britannica"! I can just see that being banned...  |
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