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Tintin, the Racist?
Tintin may have ditched the plus fours, but he can't seem to shake off accusations of racism
by Magdalena Kalata
Belgians are hardly known for political correctness. Belgian's parliament recently approved a ban on the burqa in all public places, even though it is estimated only about 30 women in the country wear the veil. One of its most beloved national heroes is a comic book character called Tintin, who has managed to step on quite a few toes during an adventurous 80 years.
The Tintin comic book, a creation of Brussels native Georges Remi - otherwise known as Hergé - has never failed to hold up a mirror to society. Tintin and his trusty sidekick, Snowy, explored the world as it was, flaws and all. From gulags in the land of the Soviets in 1930 to a coup d'état in Latin America in 1976, the comics didn't shy away from newsworthy items. Flicking through their contents today, they could easily be classified as racist - at the very least they are filled with stereotypes. This point is being addressed in a court case involving a Congolese born student, Mbutu Mondondo Bienvenu.
Bienvenu argues that the cover of Tintin in the Congo is inherently racist and the story glorifies Europeans at the expense of the native Congolese black population. He says the relationship between the white Europeans and the Africans gives the impression that white Europeans are superior. And he thinks that Moulinsart, the copyright holder, should ban the book or failing that, label it with an appropriate warning. Lawyers for both the Casterman publishing house and Moulinsart reject Mbutu's claims, and say that banning the comic would be equivalent to book burning.
"That's not where we are in Belgium," said Alain Berenboom, a lawyer for the defendants.
Citing freedom of press, the defence goes on to say that Hergé did not belong to the group of artists engaged in "soft" anti-semitism, and as a Tintin museum in Louvain-la-Neuve shows, he supported democracy not colonialism. With the case already dragging on for three years, Bienvenu may be a victim of bad timing. A Tintin film trilogy directed by Steven Spielberg is due to be released next year. The controversy may raise the profile of the The Secret of the Unicorn when it hits theatres in 2011.
In 2007, the Borders chain of bookshops removed Tintin books from its children's section in Britain and the U.S. Simultaneously, the Brooklyn Public Library placed the book in a safe along with Hitler's Mein Kampf due to a complaint from a patron. As a result of the media attention, sales on Amazon skyrocketed. In the midst of a media storm, the May 29th auction of Tintin memorabilia in Paris brought in over one million euro. If the case continues, it is possible that the Tintin brand will be able to add box office success to its list of achievements which include the 230 million Tintin issues that have already been sold.