Oh Schucks, you’re racist
|Published
SHOCKED: Leon Schuster, 69, and friend Alfred Ntombela, 48 SHOCKED: Leon Schuster, 69, and friend Alfred Ntombela, 48
Local comedy king Leon Schuster is not laughing after nine of his movies were dropped by Showmax for being “racially insensitive”.
MultiChoice’s digital streaming platform took a decision to remove You Must Be Joking, You Must Be Joking Too, Oh Schucks It’s Schuster, Sweet ‘n Short, Schucks! Pay Back the Money, Mr Bones, Mr Bones 2, Mama Jack and Frank and Fearless.
For his lagbol flieks, the 69-year-old filmmaker pranks celebrities and the public by using make-up to disguise himself as people of different races.
But with Black Lives Matter protests currently spreading around the world, in the wake of the death of African American George Floyd at the hands white US cops a month ago, entertainment bosses have undertaken to review their content.
Richard Boorman, the head of communication for Showmax, confirmed that several Schuster films have been removed as they could “possibly be racially insensitive”.
MultiChoice spokesperson Benedict Maaga added that they strongly condemn all forms of racism or prejudice.
Schuster is shocked by the news, telling Netwerk24:“I cannot believe that the content of my movies causes harm. It is innocent.”
The funny man previously told Sunday Times that he was wary of doing “blackface”: “I’m so sorry that I can’t make Mama Jack 2... But especially on Twitter they said stay away from the blackface. It was black people talking to me and you’ve got to listen. I can’t do it because I’ll be heavily criticised.
BLACKFACE: Mama Jack is deemed insensitive
“In the olden days it troubled nobody. But I won’t go blackface now. There’s not one actor in the world that will. ”
The decision has outraged fans of one of South Africa’s most successful filmmakers.
Long-time friend and co-star, Alfred Ntombela, 48, is dik upset .
The Sweet ‘n Short star wrote on Facebook of his “mentor” and “partner in crime”: “They say my friend is racist, but if you would check his movies are full of South Africans.
“And that means his proud of us being United and one, this movies where made for us to laugh.
And to show that we’re proudly South
Africans.”(sic)