Durban - Black Centric Forum is on a mission to remove white dolls from toy shelves across the country.
The organisation has called on supermarkets to remove the dolls from their shelves as they believed African children who played with white dolls did not embrace themselves as freely as they should.
Thapelo Lairi said the campaign was started last year when they approached a major retail store and asked them to remove all white dolls from their toy aisle.
The forum launched an online petition, calling for support for their mission.
Go sign the petition black people✊ Let's reach the goal
247 already signed, let's reach 500, go sign the petition at https://t.co/pGhC53Y16S
Blackman we are capable. pic.twitter.com/ZTxuLK9l5g
— Black Centric Forum (@centric_black) February 3, 2018
"A team of psychologists conducted a survey across three continents where they found that children reacted to a white doll and not a black doll. This was concerning," he said.
#RemovalOfWhiteDolls earlier yesterday. pic.twitter.com/PguDpmeVPB
— Black Centric Forum (@centric_black) November 18, 2018
Lairi said BCF believed that African children grew up playing with white dolls and this had a psychological impact on them later on in life.
"We find that dolls are more than just toys. There is a psychological impact on a child when they play. These children grow up playing with white dolls and are more loving towards them. Growing up, when these children come into contact with white people, they are more open and accepting of white people than they are of black people," he said.
Lairi said this was not a healthy situation.
He said their cause has been shared multiple times on social media and there has been positively received.
However, he said the campaign has also received a lot of negative comments.
"I have had people calling and harassing me on my phone. Some send me messages too but the positive support outweighs the negative," he said.
Daily News