African Seeks Ban on Racist Tintin in Belgium

A Congolese man living in Belgium wants a Tintin book banned in the cartoon character's homeland. Tintin in the Congo, written in the late 1920s, has been widely attacked for its crude and offensive racial stereotypes. "It makes people think that blacks have not evolved," said Bienvenu Mbutu.

Tintin's creator himself called the book "a youthful sin" that reflected the attitudes of the age, the BBC notes. Some bookstores refuse to carry the book. British editions of the book bear a warning that the contents are offensive, a solution Mbutu says he would be happy to accept if Belgian courts decide against a ban. (More Democratic Republic of Congo stories.)