Related
Stories
Culture Minister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth cut the cake at an art event |
Sweden's
culture minister is facing calls to step down after she was photographed
cutting a cake designed like an African tribal woman.
The
incident involving Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth happened at the Museum of Modern Art
in Stockholm.
According
to Radio Sweden, the museum said the cake was supposed to highlight the issue
of female circumcision.
But the
Association for African Swedes said it was a crude racist caricature and called
for Ms Liljeroth to resign.
Kitimbwa
Sabuni, a spokesperson for the group, told Swedish news agency TT: "To say
that you did this for a good cause only makes the mockery of people who are
victims of racism and of circumcision worse."
'Bizarre
situation'
The artist
behind the cake, Makode Linde, who is black but was born in Stockholm, said the
work had been misunderstood.
Artist Makode Linde placed his own head at the top of the cake |
He told TT:
"Considering the poor offering of art in Sweden that could be defined as
African-Swedish, one would have hoped that the people in the National
Association for African Swedes were more aware of the artwork that I do."
The news
agency reported that Ms Liljeroth had said she could "understand that this
can feel provocative".
"It
was a bizarre situation. I was invited to speak at World Art Day about the
freedom of art and the right to be provocative, and then they asked me to cut
up the cake," the minister said.
The cake
was in the shape of the naked upper body of an African woman and was filled
with a blood-red sponge. Mr Linde painted his own face and took the place of
the head.
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.