What issues do his albums raise in terms of representation of ‘race’, and particularly ethnic and cultural stereotyping?
As with many narratives created in the 1930s, the Tintin comics are products of their time. They feature many examples of representations we would now consider to be unacceptable to be seen in any type of fictional media. One that stands out, in particular, is Herge’s representation of race in the Tintin comics.
In the comic Tintin Au Congo or Tintin in the Congo (Herge, 1930-31) in English, Tintin visits the Belgian African colony of the Congo. This comic’s representation of the African people who lived there is a gross caricature of African stereotypes and has come under much scrutiny and controversy. It is not just the way that they are drawn that is considered racist but also the way that the character’s act compared to Tintin and the other white characters. The physical representation shows people with black skin and black hair, large noses, and large lips. All of the African characters also speak pidgin English, unlike Tintin who speaks “proper” English. There are multiple instances throughout the comic that are used to show how the native people of the congo are unintelligent or cowardly and are greatly helped by the presence of the Belgians. In her book, A Metamorphosis of Tintin (2010) Jean-Marie Apostolides discusses how in the comic the Africans are represented as children while the Belgian’s are the ‘adults’. The African’s are shown to be unintelligent, cowardly, and immature. Thus, the more mature and able Europeans must set the example and impose their rules and beliefs on the Africans. Much like a parent would do to their child. This type of caricature is a way of justifying the Belgian presence, as it says to the reader that the Africans would be hopeless without the Europeans to guide them.
There is the argument to be made of whether or not Herge could have known the negative implications of this caricature and pro-colonialist stance. It was the common belief at the time, and without a large enough anti-colonialist audience to challenge those beliefs it is understandable that Herge may have not realised that this was wrong. However, the existence of Tintin in America challenges this argument. Herge’s depiction of the treatment of Native American’s by the colonists is very critical. Herge uses “explicit representation of American Indians as victims of colonial and ongoing oppression at the hands of capital, backed by the US army.” Mountford, 2012. This is a stark contrast to the way that the colonisation of the Congo is treated. In the Congo Tintin was the ‘white saviour’ of the immature African’s whom he saved from a life of savagery and stupidity. The archetype of the ‘white saviour’ is one that is described by Seekford (2017, p.3) as being a white character who “bring the issues and concerns of black characters to the fore and consequently serve as their advocates (and) make black characters palatable or sympathetic to a white audience.” In the case of Tintin in America he also plays the white saviour as he advocates for the Native Americans against the English colonisers.
Because of this critique being used so soon after the publication of Tintin in the Congo it can not be argued that Herge’s beliefs were a product of the time. It is clear that he simply turns a blind eye to the same issues when they are caused by Francophone colonisers. Herge’s critique of the treatment of Native Americans is more of a critique of England than a firm anti-colonisation stance.
Reference List:
Apostolidès, J. M. (2010). The Metamorphoses of Tintin, Or, Tintin for Adults. Stanford University Press.
Hergé (1931-32) Tintin in America
Hergé (1930-31) Tintin in the Congo
Mountfort, P. (2011). ‘Yellow skin, black hair… Careful, Tintin’: Hergé and Orientalism. Australasian Journal of popular culture, 1(1), 33-49.Mountfort, P. (2020).
Seekford, B. (2017). ‘To Kill a Mockingbird, The Help, and the Regendering of the White Savior.’ James Madison University Journal
Pop Genres 2020 