On
September 19th of this year, CLPE published their second annual reporton BAME representation in children’s literature in the UK. The purpose of the report
as stated by Farrah Serroukh is “The value
of reflecting realities, individuals, identities, cultures and communities is
rooted in the importance of elevating all lived experiences and recognising
them as worthy of note and exploration.”
While
some high-level statistics might show an upward trajectory, there is still a
long way to go.
Three
in every 10 children is from a BAME background in a UK classroom, only 7 in 100
books represent their presence. But not all of that representation was
authentic or the central to the book. Only 4% of the books had a main character
from a non-white background. And this does feel stark when compared to 42% of
the books have animals as lead characters. It underscores and unconsciously tells a
child of colour that they do not rank the same privileges as animal characters.
The
research also breaks down the stats into specific ethnicities and as a British
Asian I do find it alarming that while 6.8% of British are Asians while only
0.14% of the books are for them. I’m scribbling away as fast as I can so that
my nephews get to read the books they feature in, they are the lead characters
in.
But
as a single author or even as a small group of authors, we cannot change the make-up
of the bookshelves in Waterstones. It’s important for all writers to consider
authentic representation in their books.
However, in this regard the survey
clearly points out that many of the portrayals raised concerns. Some concerns were
regarding how these characters were illustrated and, in some cases, darker the
skin-tone in the illustrations, less virtuous the characters. In 2019, as a
writer of colour and an aunt of two mixed-race nephews, I worry that the subliminal
messaging of good vs bad will set in far too early in young minds.
Here is a recent video from Guardian that talks about how children view this world of books.
The
other important factor uncovered in this survey is the “skipping over” of uncomfortable
truths in history – glorifying western explorers without referring to the harm
they caused during those daring acts of bravery. Language is another area where
the report points out hidden bias, stereotypical references and of course
pointing out that one character is a person of colour by describing them and
keeping the white characters default.
The
report also highlights excellent examples where the books have succeeded in in
good representations in terms of words and pictures.
While
reading the report, I was reminded of an article written by Mitali Perkins, who
points out that all writers have institutional bias and language shortcuts in
their writing – this is because even writers of colour grew up reading white writers
and hence adopt unconsciously the same techniques. Here is an article that she wrote almost 10 years ago for the School Library Journal which sadly is still relevant. Recently Mitali produced a checklist for writers and editors to use
to edit their texts of such bad representations. Editing as all writers know is
a conscious task and hence will help undo some of the unconscious language that
might have swept into our stories.
While
thinking about this report, I also want to talk about the care that needs to be
taken when writing another culture. What we see on TV or our close friends in
one or two social interactions do not substitute for research. This research
article on the ice-berg of cultural understanding will help to prevent our own stories
from sinking due to inaccurate portrayals.
The
CLPE Reflecting Realities 2019 report has created some useful terminology that
all writers and editors and publishers can use to check their own text. Some
notable ones are Wallpapering, Ethnic fluidity, The Jasmine default.
Most
often the cure for a problem can be found when it’s diagnosed. In some cases,
like cultural representation, measuring is a key tool. US started their
research via CCBC in 2002. UK has just started its measurements in 2017 and
there is a long way to go to establish patterns and watch trends.
But in the meantime, as writers, we can all be more aware of our position in this pyramid and how we can use the space and voice we have, to empower children of all colour and abilities.
Chitra Soundar is an internationally published author of
over 40 books for children. Her books have been published in the UK, US, India,
Singapore and translated into German, French, Japanese and Thai. Her picture
book Varsha’s Varanasi was included in the White Ravens catalogue this year, a
prestigious list of international literature for young people. Her picture
books Farmer Falgu Goes Kite Flying was included in the IBBY International
Books of USA and You’re Safe with Me was shortlisted for the 2019 Kate
Greenaway Medal for the Poonam Mistry’s unique illustrations. Follow her on twitter @csoundar
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