The Criticism
In the original book, the Oompa Loompas don’t come from Loompaland — they come from Central Africa, and they were described as just regular ol’ black pygmies. In the 1973 edition, they were relocated to Loompaland and their skin was changed from black to white in the illustrations thanks to growing controversy in the 1970s. In the 1964 original version, Willy Wonka simply found a tribe of Africans, enslaved them and used them to replace his regular work force because they were willing to work for chocolate. Before you complain that they were not slaves because they got paid, we’d remind you that even the worst slave owners fed their slaves a more balanced diet than Mr. Wonka.
Of course, the original treatment of the Oompa Loompas is reminiscent of colonial Europe, when white folks were still able to convince each other that they were doing all the other races a favor by enslaving them. The book was published in 1964 around the time of the civil rights movements, so it's no wonder that it sparked criticism.
Dahl even based some of the ideas from the book on actual events involving real chocolate companies, such as Cadbury, so Dahl was probably at least partially aware that a lot of the cacao plantation workers in Ivory Coast, the biggest producer of chocolate, were practically enslaved African children. It seems more than a little insensitive of Dahl to give Wonka a bunch of funny little African slaves who happily give away their freedom just to give white kids some chocolate.
http://originalpeople.org/childrens-books-racist/
Of course, the original treatment of the Oompa Loompas is reminiscent of colonial Europe, when white folks were still able to convince each other that they were doing all the other races a favor by enslaving them. The book was published in 1964 around the time of the civil rights movements, so it's no wonder that it sparked criticism.
Dahl even based some of the ideas from the book on actual events involving real chocolate companies, such as Cadbury, so Dahl was probably at least partially aware that a lot of the cacao plantation workers in Ivory Coast, the biggest producer of chocolate, were practically enslaved African children. It seems more than a little insensitive of Dahl to give Wonka a bunch of funny little African slaves who happily give away their freedom just to give white kids some chocolate.
http://originalpeople.org/childrens-books-racist/