Beaconsfield, Quebec has cancelled the performance of a black entertainer over allegations that he used a “blackface” puppet.
Beaconsfield City Council made the decision to axe Franck Sylvestre’s play L’Incroyable Secret de Barbe noire after receiving complaints from the West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA).
“The puppet triggers a lot of old memories of blackface, which is traumatic for many adults. We’ve come a long way over the years and we don’t want to go back to the past,” claimed WIBCA president Joan Lee.
“Maybe the play was considered acceptable in other communities, but not in the West Island. People don’t want their tax dollars used to present this play.”
Actor and storyteller Franck Sylvestre has claimed that the allegations are false and that the puppet is simply a caricature of himself.
“This is a very serious precedent for creation, the freedom of artists and freedom of expression,” Sylvestre said in French.
“The puppet is impressive, it is made like a mask. It’s me, exaggerated, I caricatured myself.”
Sylvestre told those who found the puppet offensive to “live with it.”
“I understand that it can raise old ghosts, but you have to live with it,” he said.
“We cannot change the whole landscape around us because it does not correspond to our personal sensibility.”
Sylvestre has since accused the local city council of “political interference.”
“It’s political interference in cultural programming. I am amazed that elected officials made such a quick decision,” claimed Sylvestre.
Beaconsfield made the decision to cut the play after considering WICBA’s claims to be “credible.”
“The West Island Black Community Association is considered credible, and they believe that this kind of presentation is not representative of their culture,” said mayor Georges Bourelle.
On the other hand, the City of Pointe-Claire has decided to keep the show in its programming.
“We took the complaints into consideration, but we also took into account the history of the play and the actor, and the fact that he is endorsed by the Conseil des arts de Montréal,” said a municipality spokesperson.
