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Tintin causes race row in bookshops

12.07.07

Both Waterstone's and W H Smith have vowed to keep selling a Tintin book after it was caught up in a race row. The Commission for Racial Equality claimed Tintin In The Congo depicted "hideous racial prejudice" and that it should be removed from sale. It was first published in 1931 but was redrawn in 1946.

According to the Telegraph, the Borders chain of bookshops agreed to move it to the adult graphic novels area of its shops, but the official Tintin shop vowed to keep selling it, as did Waterstone's and W H Smith.

The racism watchdog said that it was unacceptable for any shop to sell or display Tintin in the Congo, as it featured crude racial stereotypes. The book includes a scene featuring Tintin being made chief of an African village because he is a “good white man”.

The publisher Egmont issued a colour version of the book in Britain in 2005, but included a foreword which tried to explain the colonial attitudes prevalent at the time it was written. Egmont said that every edition delivered to shops had a band of paper around the outside making clear the content was offensive. It has been published in black and white in Britain for more than ten years.

It was the colour version which was spotted by a Borders customer in its children's section in London last month, prompting them to contact the CRE.

A spokesman for Borders confirmed to the Guardian that the book would be moved to the adult section but it would not be withdrawn, adding that the company stood by its commitment to let customers make the choice. Waterstone's said it would not censor the book but is considering moving it from the children's section.

Telegraph

W H Smith waterstone's Borders children's Tintin Egmont

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