Fast-food chain Chicken Licken must, with immediate effect, pull its Big Mjohnana advert following a complaint by a member of the public.
The ad, released in November as a tongue-in-cheek production, was aired on television and online, but not everyone found humour in it.
See what Twitter has to say:
TOP READ: This Chicken Licken ad has been banned. Do you think the ban is justified?https://t.co/GZ5AFVHOt7
— POWER 98.7 (@Powerfm987) December 18, 2018
https://twitter.com/MarcusAureZA/status/1075062868670906368
White People are catching feelings😂😂😂 I love that @ChickenLickenSA ad https://t.co/ozn3eslbaA via @BusinessInsider
— Clyde Sithole (@ClydeSithole) December 19, 2018
It follows a young African prince named Big John who leaves his village to explore the unknown. He eventually drifts ashore in Holland and comes upon colonisers who look ready to set sail themselves.
A complaint submitted to the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) by a Sandile Cele, submitted that the commercial makes a mockery of the struggles of the African people against the colonisation by the Europeans in general, and the persecutions suffered at the hands of the Dutch in particular.
The ARB explains that “the legacy of colonisation, which is a sensitive and divisive topic, is one of that is not open for humorous exploitation no matter how amusing some people may find the end result.” The body continues to state that “the directorate is of the view that the Respondent’s commercial trivialises an issue that is triggering and upsetting for many South African people. The commercial therefore contravenes the provisions of Section 1 of Section 11 of the Code.”
Watch the video below for clarity: