Swedish minister of culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth's participation in a "racist spectacle" in which she carved up a cake depicting a naked black woman has sparked outrage and prompted calls for the minister's dismissal.

"In our view, this simply adds to the mockery of racism in Sweden," Kitimbwa Sabuni, spokesperson for the National Afro-Swedish Association (Afrosvenskarnas riksförbund) told The Local.

"This was a racist spectacle."

Sabuni's comments come following Adelsohn Liljeroth's participation in an art installation that took place at Stockholm's Moderna Museet in connection with World Art Day on April 15th.

As part of the installation, which was reportedly meant to highlight the issue of female circumcision, the culture minister began cutting a large cake shaped like a black woman, symbolically starting at the clitoris.

Makode Aj Linde, the artist who created the installation and whose head is part of the cake cut by the minister, wrote about the "genital mutilation cake" on his Facebook page.

"Before cutting me up she whispered, 'Your life will be better after this' in my ear," he wrote in a caption next to the partially eaten cake.

But images of the event, which show a smiling and laughing Adelsohn Liljeroth slicing up the cake, have caused the National Afro-Swedish Association and its members to see red and issue calls for her resignation.

"According to the Moderna Museet, the 'cake party' was meant to problematize female circumcision but how that is accomplished through a cake representing a racist caricature of a black woman complete with 'black face' is unclear," Sabuni said in a statement.

According to Sabuni, the mere fact that the minister particiapted in the event, which he argued was also marked by "cannibalistic" overtones, betrays her "incompetence and lack of judgement".

"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," he said.

"We have no confidence in her any longer."

Speaking with the TT news agency, Adelsohn Liljeroth was sympathetic to the association's reaction, but nevertheless defended her actions.

"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, Adelsohn Liljeroth said the National Afro-Swedish Association's anger should be directed at the artist, not at her, claiming the situation was "misinterpreted".

"He claims that it challenges a romanticized and exoticized view from the west about something that is really about violence and racism," she said.

"Art needs to be provocative."

But the minster's defence of her actions rang hollow for Sabuni.

"It's extremely insulting for the minister to claim that we've somehow 'misunderstood' racism," he said.

According to Sabuni, the incident is "strange" but "not unexpected" in the Swedish context.

"Sweden thinks of itself as a place where racism is not a problem," he said.

"That just provides cover for not discussing the issue which leads to incidents like this."

While a museum is certainly allowed to do what it wants as long as the laws are followed, Sabuni argued that a minister needs to be held to "higher standards".

"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," he said.

David Landes/TT

SilverMK2 wrote:I think the afro-sweeds have seen someone jabbing a knife into a representation of a black woman and completely missed what was actually happening in a chance to grab some free publicity.

Frazzled wrote:

SilverMK2 wrote:I think the afro-sweeds have seen someone jabbing a knife into a representation of a black woman and completely missed what was actually happening in a chance to grab some free publicity.

i don't know what I am more shocked by, the cake thing or that there is an afro Swede association. Aren't there only like 12 people in Sweden to begin with, and half of them are platinum blond supermodels, and the others are busy making meatballs and future platinum blond supermodels?

Frazzled wrote:i don't know what I am more shocked by, the cake thing or that there is an afro Swede association. Aren't there only like 12 people in Sweden to begin with, and half of them are platinum blond supermodels, and the others are busy making meatballs and future platinum blond supermodels?

sirlynchmob wrote:MMMMM cake,

I'm going to have to get one made like that for the next party after the zomibe walk

Da Boss wrote:You guys don't see anything wrong with the cake? I mean, I usually don't find these things offensive, but that cake is really...well, I want to say tasteless, but that's sure to provoke a quip. Awful? Lacking in class or decency? Not something that a member of government should sensibly associate with?

Frazzled wrote:my birthday cake was a Walking dead cake, complete with RIck against a chocolate brick wall, surrounded by zombies and a "bloody" 'so you survived another year' on it.

Frazzled wrote:

sirlynchmob wrote:MMMMM cake,

I'm going to have to get one made like that for the next party after the zomibe walk

my birthday cake was a Walking dead cake, complete with RIck against a chocolate brick wall, surrounded by zombies and a "bloody" 'so you survived another year' on it.

SilverMK2 wrote:

Frazzled wrote:my birthday cake was a Walking dead cake, complete with RIck against a chocolate brick wall, surrounded by zombies and a "bloody" 'so you survived another year' on it.

Maaaan... I love the sound of that cake.

As to the tastelessness or otherwise of the cake in the OP... it could have done with some more chocolate

BlapBlapBlap wrote:Anyway, overreaction by the Afro-Swedes first of all. "Oh my god, that cake vaguely resembles an african native! Let's completely ignore the actual celebration and chastise the person cutting it up!"

SilverMK2 wrote:I think the afro-sweeds have seen someone jabbing a knife into a representation of a black woman and completely missed what was actually happening in a chance to grab some free publicity.

Frazzled wrote:The wife is as weird as me, but can bake like Darth Vader (if Darth Vader could bake). I've had transformer cakes, alien vs. predator battleifield cakes, a tank rolling over a mound of swiss chocolate cakes for a certain "over the hill birthday" and of course the epic Stitch (of Lilo and Stitch) cake that started it all.

biccat wrote:

BlapBlapBlap wrote:Anyway, overreaction by the Afro-Swedes first of all. "Oh my god, that cake vaguely resembles an african native! Let's completely ignore the actual celebration and chastise the person cutting it up!"

Er, what?

It was supposed to look like an african native. Notice the blackface? Is that not offensive anymore?

Manchu wrote:Things always look horrible through the eyes of someone who is intentionally misunderstanding them so as to be outraged.

Manchu wrote:As I mentioned in another thread, I'm Catholic. We eat our God. A cake shaped like an angel would only be offensive to me inasmuch as I am used to finer fair.

BlapBlapBlap wrote:I know. It's hardly like a work of art, and although it resembles an african native, the Afro-Swedes seem to have completely missed the point of the ceremony and personally attacked the prime minister for cutting a cake.

biccat wrote:The Prime Minister

biccat wrote:

BlapBlapBlap wrote:I know. It's hardly like a work of art, and although it resembles an african native, the Afro-Swedes seem to have completely missed the point of the ceremony and personally attacked the prime minister for cutting a cake.

OK, could you please explain "the point of the ceremony?"

What I see is an artist's head (painted in blackface) on a body that is designed to be a horrible racial stereotype (mockery of a fertility goddess). The Prime Minister, laughing, performs a "ritual circumcision" on the cake (explaining "Your life will be better after this"), then laughs with others as the cake is divided up and consumed, to the (apparent) cries of the 'victim'.

What kind of sick freak thinks this kind of gak is appropriate?