As the Love Island reality TV franchise launches in South Africa, the show has come under fire from viewers who say it fails to reflect the racial make-up of the majority-black nation.
South African media say just two contestants are black, and two are coloured – the official term for mixed-race people in the country.
The other six housemates are white.
In all, 10 contestants are vying to win the series and take home 1 million rand ($66,200; £47,500).
A spokesman said more contestants would be arriving in the next few days who would reflect South Africa’s diversity.
The reality TV series, which began in the UK before spin-offs launched elsewhere in the world, sees a group of men and women living in a villa isolated from the outside world. They couple up and take part in challenges to win the support of the voting public and ultimately compete for the cash prize.
Participants are catapulted into the limelight, and there has been criticism in recent years that Love Island has failed to adequately support contestants’ mental health, while black contestants have spoken out about experiencing racism.
Love Island says it has taken steps to address these issues. And in a first, a black couple won the US edition last year.
Yet many viewers in South Africa are disappointed with the programme’s debut in their country.
Credit: bbc.com
The post South Africa’s reality show accused of being ‘too white’ appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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