Montreal artist won't change puppet that community groups say looks like blackface
A theatre performance for children featuring a puppet that has been described as racist is continuing in the Montreal area.
Several Black community organizations have criticized the puppet as being reminiscent of blackface minstrel shows — racist performances during which white people portrayed exaggerated stereotypes of Black people for laughs.
But the show's creator — Franck Sylvestre, who is Black — has no plans to change the puppet, which he said is a caricature of his own features.
Sylvestre said in an interview he can't accept the idea that he's not allowed to create a caricature of someone who is Black because racists created caricatures of Black people in the past.
"That's unheard of for an artist," he said.
The play, called L'incroyable secret de barbe noire — French for The Incredible Secret of Blackbeard — first drew controversy in February.
A performance at a municipal theatre in the Montreal suburb of Beaconsfield, Que., was cancelled after complaints by Black community organizations.
The neighbouring community of Pointe-Claire, meanwhile, removed the play from its official Black History Month programming but allowed the performance to go ahead.
Sylvestre, who wrote the one-man show in 2009 aimed at kids aged five to nine years old, said he had never received a complaint about his show before February.
A series of performances of the play, which combines theatre, storytelling, masks and puppetry, begins Sunday in Laval, Que., he said, before he takes it to France for 30 performances.
Sylvestre said the play tells the story of a young man who travels from Montreal to Martinique — the Caribbean island where Sylvestre's parents are from — at the request of his dying grandfather, who is haunted by his discovery of a mysterious wooden chest with a connection to the pirate Blackbeard.
Max Stanley Bazin, president of the Black Coalition of Quebec, describes the puppet's appearance as "very, very, very ugly" and said he worries that seeing a Black person presented in such a way could cause emotional damage to young audiences.
"It will have an impact on them, it will have an impact on the mind of the young people who see this puppet, and that's what we should think about," he said in an interview.
Franck Sylvestre's play 'L'Incroyable Secret de Barbe Noire' includes a character that is being criticized as resembling a black face minstrel character.
People are more likely to speak out about racism now than they were in 2009, Bazin said, adding that he thinks Sylvestre should listen to community members and replace the puppet with a less controversial creation.
"If there are people in society who have said this isn't right, you have to react," he said.
Philip Howard, a professor in the department of integrated studies in education at McGill University, said he's not sure the puppet is an example of blackface — but he said that's beside the point.
"There is still very much the matter of representation and the potential use of monstrous and grotesque representations of Black people as a source of entertainment and even humour," said Howard, who has studied contemporary blackface.
Howard said the intentions of the artist are less important than the impact of the performance on an audience.
"Here we have, in this particular instance, a whole community of folks that are responding and saying, 'Wait a minute, we don't love this, we don't think this is OK and we're particularly disturbed about it during Black History Month,'" he said.
Dismissing the opinions of Black people who have a problem with the performance demonstrates anti-Black racism, he said.
Sylvestre said he thinks much of the criticism comes from people who haven't seen the play.
"It's the job of the community to see what purpose these caricatures serve; are they, like blackface, denigrating Black people, or, as in my case, are they being elevated?" he said. "This character, he's a strong character for me personally, and when I made it, I was inspired by myself."
He said the puppet, named Max, is "like a great sage," whose interventions lead to the play's happy ending.
"Max, he was the voice of reason, he was the one who advised us, who mocked me when I made a bad decision, who was above me," he said.
Prof. Cheryl Thompson, who teaches performance at Toronto Metropolitan University, said she didn't like the puppet when she viewed a trailer for the play.
"I was extremely shocked," she said. "I just couldn't believe what I was seeing."
While blackface minstrel shows are primarily associated with the United States, Thompson's research has shown that blackface performances took place in Canada, with shows in Montreal as recently as the 1950s.
Even though blackface originated with white performers, Black actors in the 1800s would also don the exaggerated makeup and participate in the racist performances for white audiences.
"It actually didn't matter if it was a white actor in blackface or a Black actor in blackface, it was the caricature that audiences thought was funny," she said.
Thompson said there's room for theatre performances to be provocative.
But performers, she said, need to engage with audiences and be willing to discuss artistic choices — especially when artists are performing for audiences whose histories might be different than their own.
"Why wouldn't this person at least try to hear the voices of people who maybe have a different experience to him?" she said.
She said she wouldn't take a child to see the show, especially during Black History Month.
"I just don't see the uplifting messaging," Thompson said. "I don't see the messaging of 'you matter,' I just don't see that celebration of life. I just see something that is steeped in a history of racial caricature and mimicry."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Pearson gold heist suspect arrested after flying into Toronto from India
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Millions of cyberattacks per hour as B.C. government investigates multiple breaches
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Debate on abortion rights erupts on Parliament Hill, Poilievre vows he won't legislate
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Justin and Hailey Bieber are expecting their first child together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
New 'Lord of the Rings' film coming in 2026
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.