Ravensburger Verlag has now stopped two books that were released to coincide with the theatrical release of the children’s film “The Young Chief Winnetou”. The “First Reading Book on the Film” for children over seven and the “Book on the Film” for children over eight will no longer be delivered. The publisher announced this on Monday.
The reason for this is the fierce criticism on social media of the books, the content of which was taken from the film’s script: the content promoted colonialist and racist ideas that they were about “cultural appropriation”. “Your feedback has clearly shown us that we have hurt the feelings of others with the Winnetou titles,” wrote the publisher on Instagram.
Although the film itself was rated as particularly valuable by the German Film and Media Evaluation, the jury was divided in its decision. Some members resented Karl May’s idyll, which fades out the genocide of Native Americans, for example, but the majority took the view that May’s depictions were fairy tales and could be told as such.
Source: Nachrichten
