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PICTURED: Stacey Dooley

PRESENTER STACEY Dooley has hit out at David Lammy’s white saviour criticism in relation to her recent visit to Uganda as part of a Comic Relief documentary.

The MP’s comments, which included a call for an end to harmful stereotypes of black people in Africa, were prompted after Dooley posted pictures of her trip on social media.

In two images she was seen posing with a young black child on her hip.

The Labour MP for Tottenham tweeted: “The world does not need any more white saviours. As I've said before, this just perpetuates tired and unhelpful stereotypes. Let's instead promote voices from across the continent of Africa and have serious debate.”

He added: “Hi Stacey Dooley. This isn't personal and I don't question your good motives. My problem with British celebrities being flown out by Comic Relief to make these films is that it sends a distorted image of Africa which perpetuates an old idea from the colonial era.”

Hi @StaceyDooley. This isn't personal and I don't question your good motives. My problem with British celebrities being flown out by Comic Relief to make these films is that it sends a distorted image of Africa which perpetuates an old idea from the colonial era.

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) February 27, 2019

Responding to Lammy’s comments, Dooley said: "David, is the issue with me being white? (Genuine question) ...because if that's the case, you could always go over there and try raise awareness?

"Comic relief have raised over 1 billion pounds since they started. I saw projects that were saving lives with the money. Kids lives."

In 2017, Lammy wrote about the charity’s fundraising appeals and argued it should be working to establish an image of African people as “equals to be respected rather than helpless victims to be pitied”.

View this post on Instagram

OB.SESSSSSSSSSSED ????

A post shared by Stacey Dooley (@sjdooley) on Feb 23, 2019 at 10:15am PST

BACKLASH: Stacey Dooley has been criticised for perpetuating harmful stereotypes about black Africans

Lammy wasn’t the only, or the first, person to criticise Dooley’s images. The photographs received considerable backlash from Instagram users after they were shared on the platform.

One commenter said: “This image is very insensitive and tone deaf.”

While another said: “This is literally the ultimate poster for white saviour complex?”

Dooley was questioned on her lack of understanding of the legacy of colonialism and imperialism.

However some came to the presenter’s defence.

One supporter said: “Genuinely never seen someone so maligned for trying to help and raise money. Or so much hypocrisy around racism. So Stacey is white and therefore can't hold a child who is in need of help because that child is black? So a white person cannot try and help with poverty in Africa because of white supremacy and the history of repression.”

Comic Relief has previously been criticised for its coverage of African countries and its perpetuation of the white saviour concept.

Writing in The Guardian in 2017, journalist Afua Hirsch, said that the stereotypes were powerful enough to create more problems than they solve by “denying people their agency and caricaturing them as beggars lacking dignity”.

Hirsch highlighted Ed Sheeran’s appearance in a Comic Relief appeal as “guilty of a particularly narcissistic white saviour offence, with an aggravated charge of ‘poverty tourism’.”

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