UK: Controversial troupe of Morris dancers who were thrown out of a national body for refusing to stop BLACKING up their faces dance again as BAME charity BACKS them saying they're not racist
Members of the Britannia Coconut Dancers in Bacup, Lancashire, split from The Joint Morris Organisation, the umbrella group which represents the country's 800 dancing teams, after being told to stop blacking up their faces last year.
The dance body ruled that 'full face black or other skin tone make-up was a practice that had the potential to cause deep hurt' and members must stop in response to the Black Lives Matter campaign.
But local ethnic minority charity, Lancashire BME Network, have now backed the dance troupe and said they had 'never seen it as a racial thing' within the context.
It comes as the all-male dance troupe returned to the streets for the first time on Sunday after they were kicked out of the national body over their refusal to stop using blackface make-up.
Last year the Coconut Dancers, also known as the 'Coconutters', insisted their blackened faces, a reference to the coal mining industry in the town they are based in, was part of a clog-dancing tradition dating back more than 100 years.
The troupe voted to continue blacking their faces up as they said 'it has no connection with ethnicity nor any form of racial prejudice'.
In a statement, they said: 'Our age-old tradition is embedded in the hearts and souls of the people of Bacup, Rossendale and overseas. 'We have discussed the use of black face make-up in great detail and have come to a unanimous decision that this will continue to be part of our unique mining tradition.'
Their performance on Sunday, which saw them dance for about five hours as they made their way around businesses in the town, was their very first since the split.
It came as Lancashire BME Network said they did not object to the troupe using black face as they 'recognise it's a rich cultural tradition linked to Lancashire' and had 'never seen it as a racial thing.'
Jonathon Prasad, project officer for Lancashire BME network, told Lancashire Live: 'From our point of view, as an organisation, we don't object to blackface in this context as we recognise it's a rich cultural tradition linked to Lancashire.'
He added: 'In the past when I've worked on similar topics, I've never seen them as a racial thing at all. 'We believe that communities should be going out and really asking questions about why people do blackface.'
Meanwhile Gavin McNulty, secretary of the dance group, said: 'It was a very good day, the public turned out in their hundreds. The day was a great success.'
The Coconut Dancers typically wear red tunics, white hats, black jerseys, white stockings, shiny black clogs and paint their faces black, while performing to the public.
While the exact origins of their costume is unclear, it is believed that their uniforms are influenced by the Moorish pirates who settled in Cornwall and soon entered the local mining industry during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The pirates became employed in tin mines, before moving to the coal mines of the North.
Another theory is that underpaid mill workers would dance to to earn extra income and painted their face black so their employers would not know they were dancing for money.
Every Easter Saturday the group perform a dance in the Lancashire town raising thousands for good causes but were forced to cancel the annual procession due to the coronavirus pandemic last year.
In 2014, a beer named after the troupe was banned by the bar in the House of Commons as the image on the pump was deemed offensive.
Rossendale MP Jake Berry put forward the pale ale for the Strangers bar in the Palace of Westminster. But parliamentary chiefs threw out the beverage, which had been specially crafted by the Irwell Works brewery in Ramsbottom, saying the imagery may have caused offence.
Last year the Joint Morris Organisation (JMO) ruled that their members must stop blacking up their faces.
In a statement they acknowledged 'full face black or other skin tone make-up is a practice that has the potential to cause deep hurt'.
They said groups that continued to black up would no longer be covered by the JMO's insurance or invited to take part in events.
They added: 'Morris is a unique cultural tradition of which we should be rightly proud. We want people from all races and backgrounds to share in this pride and not be made to feel unwelcome or uncomfortable.'
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Foxtel Australia launches review into Christian TV channel with anti-vax message
Censorship coming?
Foxtel Australia has launched a review into one of its offerings, an American Christian television channel, that has been accused of broadcasting COVID-19 disinformation.
Daystar TV — owned by ‘televangelists’ Marcus and Joni Lamb — has been available on Foxtel in Australia since 2015 through the broadcaster’s basic subscription package.
Foxtel says it has approximately 1.7 million subscribers around Australia.
Since the pandemic began, the Lambs have hosted interviews with controversial doctors and anti-vaccination advocates.
Some of the guests have promoted vaccine conspiracy theories and unproven treatments for COVID-19 that have been widely debunked by accredited experts, health professionals and governments around the world.
It’s unclear whether broadcasting the discredited claims breaks any rules in Australian Media and Communication Authority’s broadcasting codes.
Unlike the new Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation for online platforms brought in by ACMA earlier this year, there is no equivalent code for television.
They are responsible for initial complaints before they are referred to the media regulator.
“If they receive a complaint that their broadcasts are in breach of the code and the complainant is not satisfied with the broadcaster’s response or the broadcaster has not responded within the required time, then the complainant may make their complaint to the ACMA,” an ACMA spokesperson said.
ACMA said it had not received any complaints about Daystar TV before The Drum’s inquiries, but has since asked Foxtel for copies of the broadcasts.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-07/foxtel-channel-covid-misinformation-claims/100518956
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