The gift set says it is ‘paying homage’ to the slave ships which first arrived in SA hundreds of years ago – Photo: Twitter
The gift set says it is ‘paying homage’ to the slave ships which first arrived in SA hundreds of years ago – Photo: Twitter
Who the hell thought this was a good idea, then? The Cape Dutch farm of Babylonstoren in Stellenbosch has found itself on the end of a backlash this week, after they marketed a Father’s Day gift set based on the first SLAVE SHIP to arrive in South Africa.
A slave ship tribute? Don’t get this for Father’s Day…
The tone-deaf gift set features candles alongside bath and body essentials, each with a scent that ‘pays homage’ to the ships which brought spices and fragrances to South Africa’s shores. However, these VOC (Dutch East India) vessels also carried HUNDREDS of slaves each time.
The most wildly-inappropriate Father’s Day gift would have set buyers back by R750, for items including body wash and hand lotion:
@babylonstoren's VOC themed Father's Day Gift Tin is appalling. "Our VOC-scent pays homage to the trade ships of the Dutch East India Company that carried spices and other exotic goods to the Cape's shores". (1/n) pic.twitter.com/42stRdTsm7
— Rabia Abba Omar (@rabzia_) June 14, 2022
Slave ship gift set causes major backlash
The outcry has been immense over the past 48 hours or so, when the gift set was first clocked by irate shoppers. Rabia Abba Omar is a researcher and curator for Stellenbosch University – and she has described the slave ship tribute as ‘offensive and sickening’.
“The VOC themed Father’s Day Gift Tin is appalling. The VOC’s ships carried thousands of enslaved people who were considered ‘goods’ and ‘property’ and forced into slavery after being ripped from their families.”
“To think about a Father’s Day gift, a gift to celebrate fatherhood and men, while evoking the same company and system (the VOC) that practiced and upheld slavery and sexual violence in the Cape is truly sickening.”
Rabia Abba Omar
Babylonstoren told to apologise over ‘sickening’ Father’s Day gift set
After glancing at Babylonstoren’s online store, it would appear that the product has now been removed from sale. However, this quiet act of erasure has riled one of SA’s most prominent anti-discrimination charities.
Keep The Energy now want the farm estate to publicly acknowledge their wrongdoings, by issuing an official apology:
“We find it extremely problematic that one of the 9 VOC-themed products, that pays homage to slavery and rape, is being sold by a Cape Dutch farm for fathers and male figures. We now urge Babylonstoren to make a public apology.”
Keep The Energy
