'Rastamouse'- TV show sparks racism row

Steve Myall, Daily Mirror

With its singalong rhymes and upbeat tales, Rastamouse is like many other children's television shows - except this one has sparked a bitter row about racism.

The patois-speaking puppet, who fights crime and spreads love and respect, has been a huge hit with the BBC's younger viewers since the show hit screens at the end of last month.

He has dreadlocks, a Rasta Tam, rides a skateboard, and uses words like 'irie' and 'wagwan'.

His mission is to "make a bad ting good". And the stories feature his all-rodent reggae band, Da Easy Crew, who hang out at the Nuff Song recording studio in Mouseland.

Celebrity fans include Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal, Adrian Chiles, Radio One DJ Rob Da Bank, and actress Tamzin Outhwaite. But the series has also provoked hundreds of complaints - some parents fear it is racist and encourages the use of slang.

One concerned mother on the Mumsnet forum said: "I'm most worried about her saying words like 'Rasta'... . My child is white and I feel if she was to say this to another child who was not, that it would be seen as her insulting the other child."

And a parent on Bumpandbaby.com said: "Just watched a couple videos ... . I think it is racist."

One of those unhappy with the show is Levi Roots, the man behind the Reggae Reggae sauce brand.

wrong symbol

Levi told the Mirror: "I was asked to do the voice of the mouse, but I said no. I am a Rastafarian and I wouldn't want to portray a Rastafarian as a mouse. For me it is about integrity.

"I'd never portray a Rasta as a pig or a mouse as I don't think the values of being a Rasta are served by that. If it was a lion, that would be very different. A lion is a strong symbol in Rastafarianism.

"Personally, I do not support this representation of us. But we do need representation on TV, and as this is the first, it should be given a chance. People need to decide whether it is right or wrong for themselves. I have seven children and I would most certainly not want them to watch this show."

Rastafarian poet Benjamin Zephaniah is less critical. He said: "It's not the greatest representation of the community, and the accents are not very accurate - probably because people wouldn't understand a real one. But it's the first, so of course it is going to attract criticism."