A salesman appears in blackface to promote a Toyota Noah Hybrid in an advert for JDM Automobile Carros Centre in Singapore. - Photo: YouTube/WakeUpSingapore
SINGAPORE: In Singapore, a string of controversies involving blackface has reignited discussions about racism in the multicultural city state, prompting some to call for stricter penalties.
While academics note that blackface does not carry the same historical weight in Singapore as in the United States, where it is tied to segregation and slavery, it still perpetuates offensive racial stereotypes.
The latest incident involved JDM Automobile Carros Centre, which came under fire after posting a video featuring a salesman with dark face paint promoting a Toyota Noah Hybrid.
The now-deleted two-minute clip included images of African people accompanied by a laugh track, stirring outrage online. Screenshots shared on Reddit drew accusations of racism from users.
“Even if this [is] meant to be for humour, I didn’t find it funny,” wrote one user. “You can create funny content without having to paint a blackface,” another remarked.
It follows an earlier incident in which a student from the prestigious Raffles Institution dressed as a dark-skinned delivery rider on Racial Harmony Day – observed each year in the city state on July 21 – leading the school to discipline and counsel those involved.
Raffles Institution (RI) had taken disciplinary action against a student who dressed as a dark-skinned delivery rider on Racial Harmony Day, said its principal after the incident.
A photo of the student wearing a mask with the face of a dark-skinned man, along with long-sleeved foodpanda uniform made its rounds on Reddit on Wednesday, and the thread quickly garnered reactions online.
The photo was captioned: “What RI students wore for Racial Harmony Day”.
In response to queries from Singapore media, RI’s principal Aaron Loh said the student who was “dressed inappropriately” had taken the photo “as part of current trends around social media memes involving a basketballer”.
“He had no intention to make fun of any group or community,” he added.
The students had earlier been advised that they could dress in traditional ethnic attire for the Racial Harmony Day if they would like to, said Loh.
The students involved have been counselled to remind them of the importance of being sensitive to the feelings of others, and to be mindful of their actions, he added.
Singapore is known for being a well-integrated, multiracial society. Its population is more than 75% ethnically Chinese, 15% ethnic Malay and 7% ethnic Indian, according to the Singaporean Prime Minister’s Office.
However, Singapore has had its share of brownface controversies. In 2019, a commercial featuring a Chinese actor in brownface sparked significant public outcry. This recent ad, while likely intended to be humorous, revives those memories, raising questions about cultural sensitivity in marketing.
In 2020, an old photo of a group of RI students in blackface was resurfaced on social media, drawing backlash online.
In the photo taken in 2016, a student believed to be of South Asian descent was surrounded by 10 others who donned black beauty face masks.
One of the former RI students later issued an apology for the "stupidity and racist actions".
Then, earlier this month, a car advertisement by local car dealership in Singapore, JDM Automobile Carros Centre, is sparking debate after being flagged for its use of blackface and racially-charged humour.
The video, which was posted on Facebook, featured a Chinese man with a painted blackface promoting the features of a Toyota Noah Hybrid to an off-screen female customer.
When the "customer" asked for his name, the salesman offered a long string of syllables. He then employed exaggerated gestures and broken English in pitching the car's features.
Various images and clips of African people were also frequently edited onto the video, often accompanied with a laugh track. The salesman’s face was frequently digitally altered in a mocking manner.
The car dealership seems to frequently employs similar editing techniques in many of the videos on its Facebook page.
The video was promptly deleted from JDM Automobile's Facebook page after TNP reached out to the number listed at the end of the video for comment.
While the July 23 reel did not garner a lot of likes or comments, it recently caught the eye of Instagram account @wakeupsingapore, which reposted screenshots with the caption: "2024. A Blackface ad in Singapore (again). JDM Automobile Carros Centre."
The account sarcastically added: "Predictably, after this goes viral, JDM Automobile will say that it had 'no intention to be racist'."
The post ignited outrage among @wakeupsingapore's followers, with many expressing their disgust and disappointment.
“Always fascinating that a country that lauds it's multiracial make-up still has people who think this is okay,” one user commented.
“No one from the minority group works in that company or was involved in the decision-making,” wrote one Instagram user.
Another netizen cynically commented: "At this point of time, I think they’re just doing it for the free publicity. After all, any publicity is good publicity. They got the attention they wanted."
According to the car dealership’s Facebook page, it was an Sgcarmart-Nominated Premium Dealer between 2014 and 2015.
The salesman who was depicted in the video, who wished to be known as Kenny, said he was inspired by a video that had gone viral on YouTube in 2017.
He admitted to mimicking the person's mannerisms and language, stating he believed his long name to be a funny concept.
When questioned about the potential for offence, he claimed he did not consider the video to be racist.
"I think the guy is funny, so I just wanted to act funny," he added. "I never intended for it to be racist."
When asked why it was necessary to darken his face for the video, he said he just wanted to imitate the person from the 2017 video.
Chia, manager of the dealership, echoed his sentiment, emphasising that there was no intention to be racist and that the company was merely attempting to create "funny content" to attract viewers.
"It's a language that nobody can understand," she added.
Chia confirmed that she had seen the video prior to it being posted on Facebook, but did not think it was offensive. She added that a viewer had previously written in expressing concern about the video's content and threatening to report the video.
"I'm not sure that this kind of video can even be reported," she said. "It's just content to attract people."
TNP understands that the dealership's sales staff are given free rein to produce their own video content with minimal oversight. Chia explained that the company only reviews the translations for their multi-lingual marketing efforts, ensuring accessibility for Singapore's diverse population.
"Our videos are more about the content," she said. "We're not out to be racist, it's not in the intention."
Meanwhile, Singapore's hash.peace, a youth-led advocacy group interested in developing effective programmes for sustainable social harmony, said that it is deeply concerned about yet another incident of ‘Blackface’ in Singapore and felt compelled to raise its voice, underscoring the urgent need for schools, businesses, and the wider community to be more mindful of such racially insensitive behaviours.
"These incidents, which involve painting one's face black or brown or wearing masks that mimic people of African descent or individuals from other ethnic groups with brown or darker skin tones, reflect a troubling lack of understanding about the social impact of these actions.
"While the individuals involved may not have intention of perpetuating racism, the lack of awareness and empathy toward the identities they are portraying is deeply concerning. hash.peace views this as a significant challenge to racial harmony in Singapore.
"We believe the community must address these issues proactively to prevent such incidents in our multicultural society, where respect for racial and religious identities is a cornerstone of our social harmony," the group said in a statement.
hash.peace believes that diverse communities can be represented through respectful means that do not evoke painful, offensive, or dehumanising histories. Ignorance should not be an excuse.
"We must recognise the varying levels of knowledge and understanding of different cultures within our society and strive to avoid being overly sensitive to their expression. However, it is crucial to distinguish between cultural appreciation and racist behaviour. This awareness comes through education and increased cultural understanding," it added.
"Schools, businesses, and community groups should host regular educational sessions to understand racism and why blackface is racist behaviour. These engagements will help raise awareness and understanding within the community.
"Businesses must recognise the importance of taking proactive steps to ensure that their advertisements and communications, internal or external, do not contain racist or religiously insensitive material. This involves rigorous review processes and seeking input from diverse voices. " - Agencies
