South African singer-songwriter Zahara, comedian Nina Hastie and author Jackie Phamotse are among those who have slammed health and beauty retailer Clicks for an advert on its website which labelled African hair as dry and damaged, while white hair was described as “fine and flat”.
The company came under fire on Friday after pictures of the advert were circulated on social media, sparking outrage. The company took down the ad and apologised, but the EFF moved to shut down numerous Clicks stores on Monday in protest.
TshisaLIVE spoke to several celebs to get their thoughts on the advert and ensuing protests.
Musician Zahara said that she was shocked, and said that black women needed to protect their “crown”.
“Clicks must apologise. They must apologise to all of us,” she added.
Nina said the outrage was not an overreaction, but a problem of mainstream media not immersing itself and engaging in modern-day identity politics.
Author Jackie said the advert was another example of the alleged disregard with which black people are treated and recommended that Clicks be taken to court.
“It is completely unacceptable, especially in the world we live in. Black people are marginalised all the time. These racial slurs need to be addressed.”
Listen to their comments below:
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