Video: Ad showing black boy being fed like a dog sparks outrage
A Feed a Child television ad has sparked national outrage for its portrayal of a small black child as a dog.
The Cape Town advertisement depicts a boy being given treats by a glamorous white woman in her lavish home.
His head rests on her lap as she strokes him and later he is rewarded with another snack when he brings her a newspaper in bed.
In the final scene, the woman lets the boy lick her finger while she is cooking and the video ends with the line: “The average domestic dog eats better than millions of children.”
However, another NGO has jumped to the defence of the advertisement. “This is a great advert that highlights what is actually going on. The average dog does eat better than most children in this country,” said Feed SA director Candice Etberg.
“People are ignoring the message here – and it’s that we need to get together and start feeding children.”
Watch the ad here:
Some online users have accused Feed A Child SA of perpetuating the stereotype that blacks are always at the mercy of whites. Critics argue that the organization could have used a real dog to convey the message.
“This is an untrue way of life. It reflects that white people only are the rich and suppress the African children. This ad is racist and needs to be removed and blocked and no longer aired,” Van der Walt wrote on YouTube.
Thoughts on the ad?
Is it racist? Or just a very real way to communicate the importance of ending the hunger epidemic?
Sound off below!