Being a white celebrity in Africa...

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Originally Posted by BBC News Stacey Dooley hits back at MP Lammy's Comic Relief 'white saviour' criticism "Stacey Dooley has challenged MP David Lammy after he said "the world does not need any more white saviours" following her Comic Relief posts from Africa. She tweeted: "David, is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question)... because if that's the case, you could always go over there and try raise awareness?" She's posted images on Instagram of her holding a young Ugandan child. Mr Lammy said: "This isn't personal and I don't question your good motives." The Labour MP for Tottenham added: "My problem with British celebrities being flown out by Comic Relief to make these films is that it sends a distorted image of Africa which perpetuates an old idea from the colonial era." Dooley, who recently won Strictly Come Dancing and has made documentaries for the BBC on topics including fast fashion and an Isis sex slave, said: "Comic Relief have raised over £1bn since they started. I saw projects that were saving lives with the money. Kids' lives." Mr Lammy also appeared on BBC Two's Victoria Derbyshire programme, saying: "Charity is a good thing, all of us understand that, but how we do charity is important. "Comic Relief is a 20-year-old formula that asks comedians to perform and sends celebrities - most often white - out to Africa, and that image evokes for lots of ethnic minorities in Britain, a colonial image of a white beautiful heroine holding a black child, with no agency, no parents in sight. "The charity is doing very little to educate the public," he added, talking about the "emerging middle class in Africa."

Much of Lammy's criticism seems off-key, not least this last comment. That there is an "emerging middle class in Africa" doesn't seem to be helping those still living in poverty there. It is also the case that half of Comic Relief's work is in the UK, but nobody decries than on the basis that we already have a middle class, and upper class, for that matter.

He complains about sending "most often white" celebrities to Africa to report on CR's work, but that kind of overlooks the fact that the UK is 85% white, and only 3% black. The charity has, though, had black celebrities (e.g. Ade Adepitan, various singers, etc) doing these reports in the past,and of course for much of its 34 years Lenny Henry has been the main frontman on the night.

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Comic Relief said in a statement: "We are really grateful that Stacey Dooley, an award-winning and internationally acclaimed documentary-maker, agreed to go to Uganda to discover more about projects the British people have funded there and make no apologies for this. "She has filmed and reported on challenging issues all over the world, helping to put a much-needed spotlight on issues that affect people's lives daily. "In her film, people working with or supported by Comic Relief projects tell their own stories in their own words. We have previously asked David Lammy if he would like to work with us to make a film in Africa and he has not responded. The offer is still open."

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