From what I could make out, a Reddit post about Swedish culture started #swedengate trending. Then someone added a link to the cake. The original story had nothing to do with racism.
Swedish minister in 'racist cake' controversy
- Thread starter Sankari
- Start date
Get out of here with your reasonable thinking. If you can be offended then you must.
Doesn't sound stupid at all. I can make a few up off the top of my head.
Nokolo Adetupe
Princess Talika Ngwanke
Blessing Okangewe
So yes, having worked with Nigerians for years I know what you mean.
Ever looked up Lagos on Google streetview? Doesn't look great.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 12 May 2022
- Posts
- 291
- Location
- In the cloud
Soldato
- Joined
- 10 May 2004
- Posts
- 12,968
- Location
- Sunny Stafford
I don't get the point of Twitter and why a 2012 story has been up-voted enough for it to trend now.
Anyone looking at that cake knows it looks like a golly. Poor decision making.
Anyone looking at that cake knows it looks like a golly. Poor decision making.
I don't think approving a gollywog cake that screams when you cut it was the right way of doing this.
There's no such thing as a gollywog cake, it's just a cake that looks a bit stupid, but then again a lot of art does. It was at a Modern Art Museum, and the artist was also black!
Last edited:
I know it's old, it's just one of the stories doing the rounds as part of #Swedengate on Twitter.
Utterly laughable that this was cited as an example of racism.
They hate it so much, they refuse to leave.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 12 May 2022
- Posts
- 291
- Location
- In the cloud
They must find it colder than the Swedish people do though? Probably used to it by now mind you.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Jan 2007
- Posts
- 8,660
- Location
- *̡̡ı ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡
Is the cake a lie?
Anything to destabilize joining nato is likely why. When do you really hear about sweden otherwise?
Permabanned
- Joined
- 12 May 2022
- Posts
- 291
- Location
- In the cloud
It's more of an African Effigy/statue like cake than to resemble a black person though isn't it.
No outrage over Nancy and her team dressing up in African clothing to support George Floyd? The guy has probably never left his own city never mind gone to Africa.
The racists on facebook saying the new Doctor Who isn't Scottish? seems we can pick an choose depending on what wins the debate huh?
No outrage over Nancy and her team dressing up in African clothing to support George Floyd? The guy has probably never left his own city never mind gone to Africa.
The racists on facebook saying the new Doctor Who isn't Scottish? seems we can pick an choose depending on what wins the debate huh?
Last edited:
Bahahaha WTF 
No idea why the artist would choose to make a cake like that to get their point across. I can kind of imagine all the white people involved nodding along and not wanting to say anything against it because the artist was black... But surely they must have known deep down this was a ridiculous idea!
Wonder why it's surfaced 10 years later though.
No idea why the artist would choose to make a cake like that to get their point across. I can kind of imagine all the white people involved nodding along and not wanting to say anything against it because the artist was black... But surely they must have known deep down this was a ridiculous idea!
Wonder why it's surfaced 10 years later though.
It does indeed look very very similar to what is now known to be a racist icon, the gollywog. I am sure the artist knew this [yes yes, they are black]. There is more than one way to artistically depict a black person even if you are making a cake. The Atlantic also calls it a "gollywog cake" because that's what it is. The gollywog was something that was created by a white, female cartoonist, Kate Upton, who came from an affluent family. Here you have a cake being cut by a white, affluent female in a move that echoes dominance [the 'cutting' of the cake which is filled with red sponge].
If anything, it is Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth who is being made a mockery of here and who unwittingly becomes part of the art installation.
"It was a bizarre situation. I was invited to speak at World Art Day about the freedom of art and the right to be provocative, and then they asked me to cut up the cake."
There are no coincidences here. The artist was highlighting issues of FGM while also mocking richer Swedish society and making a statement about dominance. The whole thing was totally planned, I'm sure. Seeing it as anything else is just sticking one's head in the sand.
Exactly. The artist knew what they were doing. The whole thing was a really bad idea, from the kind of cake being made to asking her to cut it. Just dreadful.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 12 May 2022
- Posts
- 291
- Location
- In the cloud
Is it only racist as white people were involved?
I don't really understand the question. The artist was making a statement about race as well as societal structures and FGM. As to whether that is a racist thing to do or not is a matter of personal opinion.
However, what is certain is that it was a cruel thing to do to ask her to cut up the cake. If she agreed [which she did], she is called racist. If she disagreed, she would probably be called racist as well for interpreting the action as being race-related.
And of course, black people can be racist towards whites as well as being xenophobic towards other blacks [e.g. Nigerians and Jamaicans have a history of rivalry].
Now, what would have happened if she had been black? It probably would have been even worse, since a lot of FGM is black to black.
The whole situation is summed up perfectly in the quote above:
"I was invited to speak at World Art Day about the freedom of art and the right to be provocative, and then they asked me to cut up the cake."
In short, that's what the whole thing was. A provocative art installation that went too far and nearly ended up with someone losing their job. But hey, the artist made a name for himself out of it.