BMW South Africa apologises for what Ntsiki Mazwai saw as ‘racist’ advert

The BMW advert has led to divisions on social media as Twitter users react to Ntsiki Mazwai’s reaction on it.

Mazwai headed to Twitter to lash out at the German car manufacturer for its latest advertisement that she saw as racist.

Many social media users also agree with Mazwai that the luxury vehicle maker was “offensive and racist” as they concurred with the poet.

Looking at the advert, it featured a black woman standing next to one of the brand’s latest BMW 5 Series models, and displayed behind her is the phrase, “We Are Our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams”, with the word “ancestors” crossed out.

In its response, BMW Group South Africa’s product communications specialist, Hailey Philander, said that the advertising campaign was conceptualised to showcase South Africa’s diversity and inclusivity, and not to question any person’s belief systems.

“The BMW brand campaign was launched in August 2022 for mainly social and digital assets. It was completely locally produced,” he said.

“The broader campaign was spun off into a number of smaller out-of-home executions, including the one pointed out by you.

“BMW South Africa understands the wording of this example might have offended fans of the brand, for which we unreservedly apologise.”

The controversial and outspoken poet and social media commentator, Mazwai, criticised the carmaker on Sunday via a tweet.

“What level of racism is this now, where our things get used to selling white things? Which marketing agency authorised that? And why the fu** is BMW being racist?,” Mazwai said.

“They wouldn’t do this to any other religious practices, so why do they feel that they have a right to use African spirituality in their marketing campaigns? I am appalled. BMW is disgusting.”

In the wake of Mazwai’s reaction, local tweeps joined the conversation as she uploaded a  video hitting back at those who said the advert was not offensive.

“If the BMW advert was not offensive, nobody would have been offended,” said Mazwai.

“I think what I’m seeing play out is how broken black people are, how colonisation and slavery have broken black people down for them to think that they are not worthy of being respected … that advert was not targeted at white people or Indian people.

“Those people have never talked about their ancestors. They speak about their own gods and deities, so that advert was definitely targeted at black people. That’s where the racism begins…” she added.

@VuyiFebruarie said: “BMW knows this or they should be wrong. As Africans, we cannot be used as tokens to celebrate what is stolen from us. The minerals battle is lost but they can not push this further and take our words.”

@Griquachild wrote: “Stop! A person of colour is not going to tell us what racism is and how we should perceive racism. This picture is clear to us, that our ancestors were primitive and couldn’t fathom owning sophisticated futuristic electronics. To rubber stamp this, they place an African woman there!”