The Gollywog Issue (Again)

On Channel 5's The Wright Stuff this morning, they are discussing gollywogs. Should they be banned? Someone put a gollywog in their window in order deliberately to offend their Black neighbours.

In my book Black Success Stories, the founder of the Black Cultural Archives, Len Garrison, talked about the research he had done into the use of groteque images of African people in the British colonies. He was struck by the amount of money manufacturers had invested in preserving these types of images.

Yet some people still find the need to defend the use of these dolls with their grotesque features.

I find it fascinating the way The Wright Stuff tackles issues, including racial issues. They look at issues from lots of different angles and different people on the panel have widely varying views. And Matthew Wright genuinely appears willing to learn - at least sometimes.