CONTRIVED COMMERCIAL
SUHANA GORDHAN: Satire falls short on tackling mixed-race relationship woes
In the early 2000s, I remember walking through the town of Welkom with my boyfriend at the time. He was white and I’m Indian. We were stared down and the atmosphere was cold and hostile. Let’s just say, our stay in Welkom lasted only a few minutes. Anyone who is in a mixed-race relationship in SA is au fait with being gawked at. Back then, the stares were mostly disapproving and sometimes just curious. Nowadays, the disapproval may not be as overt but it’s still there and maybe it was never even about disapproval but actual hatred. Nando’s has always been one of my favourite brands. I’ve loved their bravery and the manner in which they tackle unique South African issues in an intelligent and humorous way. But I’m disappointed with their latest commercial. In this ad, a white woman is sitting at a Nando’s waiting for her friends. She is on the phone with someone and comments disapprovingly about a "mixed race couple". Her friends — a black woman and her white boyfriend — arrive soon ...
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