Fama condemns racist filmmaker

The Filmmakers Association of Malawi (Fama) has added its voice to a growing list of bodies and organisations condemning the act of Chinese international Lu Ke.

The Chinese has come under heavy criticism after an alleged video he made surfaced courtesy of a BBC Investigative initiative called African Eye Investigation which captured Malawian kids being led through phrases which were demeaning and racist in nature.

Following the airing of the documentary on Monday, different stakeholders have taken turns in speaking against Lu Ke’s conduct and calling for stern action from relevant authorities.

Fama has become the latest body to denounce the antics by the Chinese as they say the production of the racist videos was unprocedural and he did not seek any permission from relevant bodies.

In a statement that we have seen, Fama says it supports the position by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife condemning the shooting of the video as it contravenes Section 19 of the Censorship Control and Entertainment Act.

“The videos have been used to create content that is clearly against regulations governing the creative industry.

“It is in this regard that we would like to remind the public that shooting of films, whether feature or documentaries without being granted a shooting permit by the censorship board is outlawed,” reads the communication in part.

The regulatory body has urged filmmakers and content creators to seek guidance from relevant authorities to avoid contravening the law and infringing on the rights of children and also offending the public.

“We appeal to all concerned government and security departments to investigate the matter and bring to book the culprit so that as a country we protect the children and our cultural values,” reads the press release which was signed by the association’s secretary general James Kitchen.

According to the BBC investigation, Lu Ke was producing the videos in Njewa, Lilongwe and he was exporting them to China where they were shown in the social media spaces with the aim of demeaning Africans at a reported fee of K77 million.

The video in question is believed to have been produced in February 2020 when it was first shown on the Chinese social media.