A South African version of the reality show Love Island has been accused of failing to represent the diversity of the “rainbow nation” by selecting too few black contestants. The programme was launched on Sunday night, and was immediately widely criticised by local viewers on social media. Many pointed to publicity photographs released by the producers of Love Island South Africa, a spin-off of the successful if controversial UK show, which they said appeared to show only white contestants. Others complained that only one of the 10 contestants was a black woman. The presenter was also white, some pointed out. Some viewers called for formal objections to be made to the broadcasting complaints commission. Of South Africa’s 58 million inhabitants, 80% are described as black African in census statistics, and only 7.9% as white. A major lottery that had sponsored Love Island SA said on Tuesday it was cancelling its support.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN