Meet The Black Artist Behind Sweden’s ‘Racist Cake’ Controversy!

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So this is Makode Aj Linde, this artist behind the controversial Swedish “cake” event is still roaming seats there??

The whole thing was supposedly done to raise awareness for female genital mutilation. So naturally a man donning a racist stereotype of the Venus Hottentot image and screaming totally works for that. He also claims the Culture Minister whispered into his ear that things would be “better for you after this.”

Maybe I’m overreacting, but hopefully some of my followers can clue me in. Am I in the wrong for side-eyeing the hell out of this?

Read more about the story below…plus watch the VIDEO!!

Swedish Culture Minister in race storm Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Sweden’s Minister for Culture has caused outrage after photographs of her on World Art Day were posted on Facebook showing the Minister with a cake in the form of a grotesque parody of an African woman.

The Minister was photographed laughing and smiling as she posed with the cake, designed by artist Makode Aj Linde, whose head formed part of the display, described the object as a ‘genital mutilation cake’.

The Minister for Culture began by performing a “clitoridectomy” on the cake, clearly visible in the above photo. ”In our view, this simply adds to the mockery of racism in Sweden,” Kitimbwa Sabuni, spokesperson for the National Afro-Swedish Association told The Local, adding, “This was a racist spectacle.”

Moderna Museet, the gallery that housed the installation and party, claimed the display was intended to raise the issue of genital mutilation.

The National Afro-Swedish Association have called for the Minister to resign, saying, “Her participation, as she laughs, drinks, and eats cake, merely adds to the insult against people who suffer from racist taunts and against women affected by circumcision,” adding, “”We have no confidence in her any longer.”

The Minister played down the storm, telling the TT News Agency, “”I understand quite well that this is provocative and that it was a rather bizarre situation,” she said. “I was invited to speak at World Art Day about art’s freedom and the right to provoke. And then they wanted me to cut the cake.”

However, Sambuni was unimpressed, “To participate in a racist manifestation masquerading as art is totally over the line and can only be interpreted as the culture minister supporting the Moderna Museet’s racist prank.”

Watch:

Does this make it all better, or all worse????

Written by

Carlton Jordan, a former Producer for the E! News Bureau, is the owner/editor of Carlton Jordan.com. He is a contributor to such sites as HipHollywood, AllHipHop, VIBE, and ONTD. He is also a screenwriter, director, and producer. He can be reached at cj@carltonjordan.com!

  • Mwatuanghi

    The work’s intent would not have been conveyed to the public if she didn’t cut the cake. It’s obvious that he intended this reaction to occur, and this lady unfortunately completely missed what he was doing. FGM is a horrific act whose effects are routinely ignored and glossed over by the larger public. By creating this performance, he forced us not only to recognize the symbolically destructive nature of it, but also the overwhelming ignorance and privilege some of us have in our detachment from it, as this lady’s reaction clearly shows. Whether we like this work or not, it has been successful. 

  • http://twitter.com/E_Joyce E_Joyce

    My comment on this all day and hasn’t changed:Controversial bad art is still bad art. Perhaps you were not aware of
    the history. Let me help. The history behind this horrid display —
    ‘Saarjite Baartman, or “The Hottentot Venus”. An unfortunate African
    woman who was IMPRISONED and PUT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY so paying Europeans
    could gawk at her genitals and buttocks. Even after her death–surgeons
    dissected and displayed her labia at the Academy of Royal Medicine’ —
    makes this all the more disingenuous as a work of art and simply an
    opportunity to reflect the attitude that is still prevalent. Again,
    controversial bad art is still bad art. This isn’t art at all; just a
    reinforcement of the fact that a group of people are still engorged in
    the same racial mentality

  • http://twitter.com/CarltonJordan Carlton Jordan

    i will never lookj at Red Velvet cake the same way!! 

  • RKM

    Every Race has a dumbass person that would disgrace his woman,Makode is not any different from those who exploit their  own people to make a dollar

  • Darkkoverlord

    The young clown who created this shit, is a prime example of just how lost and broken so many young Afrikans all over the world have become. His weak justifications for this shit don’t hold any weight. First off he bought into the ugly stereotype images whites created of blk folks. Second Sara is no where represented in this sick ugly distortion of Afrikan women. This Boy was simplly a tool to promote another sick example of just how foul,stupid and selfhating to many young Afrikans have become. He wears a cap that says it all. It says USA, in the middle is a large dollar sign. This fool was doing this to launch his art career. I hope that Afrikan and non racist folks from all over the world let him know what  afool and tool he has become for white racist. To the white people grining and eating the cake they look like the vampires so many of them seem to love. All I could think of was watching modern day cannibalism in action .To any white person who says,O get over it, I say your one sick fucked up racist mf.So much for sweden being liberal or progressive.

  • Rebeccawriteswords

    When are people elected or appointed to government offices going to be required to have common sense, sensitivity to others and good judgement? Ms. Lena’s appropriate response would have been to have the cake removed immediately; tell the artist in front of all, his art cake was horrific; he had done a great disservice to her and the culture ministry; then had him escorted from the event. She could then have excused herself.The artist is a freaking creep who has probably been snickering with all his “artistic” friends about what he got away with, and what a dupe Ms. Lena is.  I don’t care that he is black.  He is ignorant.
    Favorite (0)

  • Bluyoyo

    Tell me something…. is the artists mother a black woman or white… I notice the distinct lack of black people at this … his exhibition… who was invited…. surtely they could have advised him of the sensitity of this ….. tell me more about this artist what is his view point… now that he has managed to offend so many people, will he apologise or will he use his Art as an excuse to cause so much insults not just to his fellow African people but also to women in general who have suffered from this horror!!!!

  • Jsabotta1

    Sweden is a horrible place. Living in a city full of racist liberal Scandinavians, I am beginning to feel they should never have been let in to the US in the first place.

    This is incredibly vile.

  • Jsabotta1

     A short history of neutral Sweden during the Second World War:

    “oh hai nazis you want us to
    let you transport occupation troops into norway using our railroads oh ok guess you
    can do that. oh hai allies you winning the war now? oops guess we’ll
    help you now instead sorry.”

  • Majorna

    Racist liberal Scandinavians? Seems like you’re the biggest and most ignorant racist here. And obviously you’ve totally missed the point of this art installation. By the way, I’m also partly of African origin and live in Gothenburg, Sweden, the second largest city here. I don’t experience any racism at all in my daily life. The biggest problems in Sweden are not due to questions of RACE, but SOCIO-ECONOMIC issues. That of course includes a large part of this country’s immigrant population, but the same goes for most countries with large immigrant populations and is not something particular for Sweden. More than 20% of Sweden’s population are immigrants, by the way. And Sweden was never a colonial power involved in slave trade. I’m actually quite irritated by all injust accusations towards Sweden.

  • Blaxican Delight

    I’m sorry—but to see a group of white people LAUGHING at a spectacle like this DOES NOT evoke some rage from you?  And you claim to be “part African?”…This display was utterly vile, and an extremely INEFFECTIVE WAY to highlight the “INJUSTICE” of female genitalia mutilation.  The artist sold himself to gain greater visibility…which shows he is a desperate, immoral man.  Reports state that the “Minister of Culture” (a bit ironic that sorry excuse of a woman is called the “Minister of Culture”) whispered in the artist’s ear, “things will get better for you after this…”  So, apparently, in order for black artists to get ahead in Sweden, they have to create DEMEANING CARICATURES OF THEIR PEOPLE.  Some country Sweden is…Thank God I don’t live there.

  • Zulie

    The idea behind the cake would have been more effective, if it potrayed a small african girl instead of a woman. Then I’m sure no one would have laughed.

  • Majorna

    Thank God you don’t live here indeed. Enjoy your lovely country wherever that is and shut up.

  • Kimenyi

    That Makode Aj Linde is a black man makes his unfortunate choice of art very sad. ‘Black-face’ to depict people of African origin was deemed distasteful so long ago, that choosing it as a basis of one’s art shows just how off-the-mark this man’s mind is set. To then paint one’s face as such in the depiction of a woman of African origin, in promotion of a caricature of a woman undergoing FGM just goes to show how little this person understands about the pain and agony that FGM means to so many people who undergo this act through no choice of their own.

    I am an African man and I cannot begin to fathom how backward this so-called artist is that he chooses to depict people of the same origin as he in such manner. In doing this, he has belittled, rather than raised awareness about, the issue around FGM and its consequences – it is NEVER a laughing matter.

    It is sad indeed that a Swedish cabinet member, a lady at that, felt that the matter was worthy of her government’s complicity; or perhaps she wasn’t aware of the negative cultural undertones her participation in this exhibit would have… and perhaps then, she ought not represent her country’s government in matters cultural – unless, of course, they feel this sort of thing is okay, which I highly doubt is the case. One can only hope that this was a rare error in judgement on her part. This was a sad day for Sweden, people of African origin, FGM and women.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kymical E Kym Smith

    I am a black installation and performance artist. I am quite torn over this piece. and someone further down in the comments hit the nail on the head why. The work is not effective in opening any sort of discussion about FGM, if that was the artist’s intention, he has missed the mark completely. the reason i think this piece failed is because of a simple rule of thumb in art making “everything is read.” 
    Black face and the stereotypical caricatures of blackness, while offensive, are part of our visual vocabulary. You don’t have to like it or even agree with it, but we do understand what it is implying. It is a very powerful tool to use and should be done so carefully. The failure here is that old stereotyping of blackness has little or nothing to do with current issues that face girls and women of color in the present. The disconnect between the two is instant. blackface and the Picaniny character represent slavery and white interpretation of blackness in a time of less knowledge. The issue of FGM is very much about tradition, oppression of women and social class structures. In my opinion the blackness caricature isn’t strong enough to convey this topic. The comment that was spot on that i think would have made this piece more effective and actually created true controversy is if the cake had been the body of a more typical female that is the victim of FGM, a girl. If the intention was to discuss FGM that would have been exactly what needed to be said, something to question how anyone can think that cutting a little girl in such a way is allowable. Instant outrage and a big portion of it at the issue even. I am more curious as to why a man would feel the need to create a work on a subject so shocking and horrifying and not be a bit more cautious in his delivery.
    The starving artist in me is screaming “this is a whole lot of publicity! hot dog!” shocking people, making work that is offensive or even provocative makes people remember you and heightens curiosity. But from his promo photo at the top there i feel he might be a one trick pony. You wanna see more controlled and thoughtful use of blackface imagery check out Fred Wilson. To me this guy just looks like he saw the movie but never read the book. Also for such a honor of a moment to have an elected official who you know will be photographed and whatnot looking at or interacting with your art and you did this? if this is the strongest work this guy has, he can just fade away now. 

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