Racist Cartoon Depicting PM Modi As Snake Charmer In Norway Newspaper Sparks Row

Oslo: A cartoon published by Norway's largest newspaper Aftenposten depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a snake charmer has triggered a massive backlash, with several calling it racist and rooted in colonial stereotypes. The cartoon appeared with a commentary piece around the time of PM Modi’s visit to Oslo as part of his five-nation tour.

Aftenposten, the Norwegian daily, ran the cartoon alongside an opinion piece published just hours before Modi touched down in the Norwegian capital. The piece, whose headline roughly translates to "A clever and slightly annoying man," examined India's growing interest in the Nordic region. The cartoon accompanying it showed Modi in the role of a snake charmer. Notably, a fuel-station filling pipe was depicted as a snake in the cartoon.

The portrayal of PM Modi as a snake charmer is problematic since for decades, snake charmer has been used by the West to visually represent India as a primitive or exotic place. The stereotypical representation has been drawing criticism as a colonial-era trope over the years.

The Aftenposten cartoon's use of the representation also triggered an immediate reaction online. Critics called the depiction racist, derogatory, and rooted in a colonial mindset that refuses to acknowledge India's contemporary standing.

Several pointed at the irony of a country that prides itself on having the world's freest press using that freedom to traffic in outdated stereotypes. A netizen said, "If this is how they miss use in the name of freedom and became world number one in Press Freedom Index, then we must also be mocking their leaders to improve our ranking."

Another comment read, “Not just racist these white supremacy idiots just cant stomach the fact that a country that they think is still in the bullock cart era has risen so rapidly. And a PM who is No.1 in political international hierarchy and popularity.”

An Indian said, "This is the intellectual bankruptcy of parts of the Western media. When they cannot ignore India’s growing influence, they fall back on mockery rooted in prejudice. India is building spacecraft, digital public infrastructure, green energy systems, and strategic partnerships across the world. Aftenposten chose a basket and a flute. That says far more about their mindset than it does about India."

This is not the first time the snake charmer image has raised eyebrows in how Indian affairs are stereotypically covered by international media.

 In 2022, Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia used the visual representation of a snake charmer to portray the rising Indian economy. The headline read, "The hour of the Indian Economy." Several Indians had criticised the stereotypical representation, with Zerodha Founder Nithin Kamath saying, “Quite cool that the world is taking notice, but the cultural caricaturing, a snake charmer to represent India, is an insult. Wonder what it takes for this to stop.”

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