A Hong Kong TV drama has ignited criticism online following the brownface act of one of its actresses.
Netizen Kathleen Magramo shared a tweet by Vivienne Chow blasting the cultural appropriation made in the TVB series “Barack O’Karma 1968”.
According to Magramo, the brown face makeup, the horrible fake accent, and the “witch” character are wrong.
She also said that while Hong Kong media networks cannot hire real Filipino Domestic Helpers for the role, they could have at least turned to many Filipino performing artists based in Hong Kong.
“This is all wrong – brown face, the horrible fake accent, the “witch” character. You can’t hire FDW to play the role because domestic workers are legally not allowed to engage in other work but there’s A LOT of Filipinos in performing arts in HK you could have casted.”
This is all wrong – brown face, the horrible fake accent, the "witch" character.
You can't hire FDW to play the role because domestic workers are legally not allowed to engage in other work but there's A LOT of Filipinos in performing arts in HK you could have casted. https://t.co/H8JxvQxrbw
— Kathleen Magramo (@kathmaemagramo) April 13, 2022
Viviene Chow, in her tweet, meanwhile slammed the Hong Kong media for the racism and discrimination that shouldn’t have existed in this day and age of television.
“The Hong Kong media is raving the performance of a local actress painting her face dark to play the role of a Filipina in a TVB series. I didn’t watch the show (not planning to) but this just feels so wrong. Why does this still exist in this day and age?”
The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong has also reacted to the brownface incident on the TV series.
In a statement, Hong Kong Consul General Raly Tejada called the show totally disgusting.
“The show is downright ignorant, insensitive, and totally disgusting,”
Meanwhile, the controversial Hong Kong actress has already apologized for offending sensibilities over the use of darkening makeup in portraying a Pinay domestic helper.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 20, Canadian-born Hong Kong actress Francesca Wong has no intention to disrespect or discriminate against any ethnic group.
“I genuinely have no intention to disrespect or racially discriminate [against] any ethnic group, please forgive me for getting it wrong. It has been a challenging experience to be at the center of a lesson that art reflects deeply entrenched social attitudes.”
Network TVB, meanwhile, didn’t give any comment following Wong’s apology.
Earlier, TVB praised Wong for her “professional performing techniques” which resulted in the successful portrayal of her FDW character. The network also insisted it never intended to disrespect or discriminate against any nationality.
Cultural appropriation is a sensitive issue because it not only highlights discrimination against a race or nationality but also puts actors of color at the disadvantage of getting roles that fit their ethnicities.
