Whittlesea Show award-winning golliwog quilt sparks outrage

A quilt with 24 golliwogs performing acts such as lassoing a Native American-Indian, and the haka has been condemned by a leading civil rights organisation after being named “most outstanding exhibit” at the Whittlesea Show.

A prize-winning quilt at the Whittlesea show which depicts Golliwogs from different countries. Source: Supplied

An award-winning quilt at the Whittlesea Show has drawn the ire of one of the country’s leading civil rights organisations due to its racist connotations.

The quilt, which won ‘most outstanding exhibit’ in the patchwork quilt category, depicts 24 golliwogs from 24 different countries.

The American golliwog is depicted to be lassoing a Native American-Indian, while the golliwog from New Zealand is shown to be doing the haka.

Anti-Defamation Commission chairman Dr Dvir Abramovich said it was a sad day “when the organisers of the Whittlesea Show failed to acknowledge that awarding prizes to items that promote demeaning and humiliating stereotypes is beyond offensive”.

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“There is nothing excellent or ‘high standard’ about works of art that showcase destructive caricatures and attitudes that should be consigned to the dustbin of history,” Dr Abramovich said.

“It is absolutely obscene that there are people who are not only making such articles, but public events that openly celebrate such racist images.”

He said it was Australia’s collective duty to send a “resounding message that these degrading materials have no room in our community”.

The prize-winning quilt, which depicts golliwogs from different countries. Source: Supplied

A prize-winning quilt at the Whittlesea show which depicts Golliwogs from different countries. Source: Supplied

“Imagine the pain an indigenous Australian, and many others, would feel confronted with this blatant expression of bigotry,” he said.

“Such paraphernalia is completely out of step with the Australian values of multiculturalism, inclusiveness and decency.

“We call on the Whittlesea Show to apologise for the hurt caused and ensure that such disturbing episodes do not occur again.”

Images of the quilt circulated on social media, drawing some unfavourable feedback.

Secretary to the Whittlesea Show Agricultural Society, Rose Stark, said the piece was selected purely based on “the execution and excellence/high standard of the workmanship”.

“We as an organisation do not discriminate based on race, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,” she said.

A prize-winning quilt at the Whittlesea show which depicts Golliwogs from different countries.

The controversy follows an incident at the Royal Adelaide Show last year where three award-winning golliwog dolls were removed from a display following social media backlash.

The dolls, which won the first, second and third places in the handicrafts division at the Show, drew the ire of an indigenous community group, Deadly Yarning from South Australian Aboriginal Communities.

In 2016 Toowoomba was labelled as the “most racist city in Australia” when a display of nine golliwog dolls appeared at a Terry White Pharmacist.

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The store later issued an unreserved apology.

The golliwog goes back to an 1895 book by Florence Kate Upton called The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg.

In it the golliwog was described as “a horrid sight, the blackest gnome.”

The Whittlesea Show celebrated its 160th anniversary over the weekend.