Beyonce not worthy of playing Sarah Baartman: South African chief

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ANI Johannesburg
Last Updated : Jan 05 2016 | 10:22 AM IST

Beyonce might be a perfect choice for portraying characters in different films, but to Chief Jean Burgess of the Ghonaqua, the First Indigenous Peoples of South Africa, the American megastar is not worthy to portray the life of a KhoiKhoi woman Saartjie "Sarah" Baartman, who was enslaved in a freak show during 1800s due to her large buttocks.

In an interview, Burgess responded to a rumor going around that Beyonce was planning to write and star in this movie in an effort to win Oscar. In his eyes, the singer-actress lacks the basic human dignity and just does not measure up to doing Baartman justice on the big screen, repots News.com.au.

Although Gamtkwa Khoisan Council member Kobus Reichert mentioned that he didn't have a problem with the rumored movie on Baartman or Beyonce acting in it as long as the community in the Eastern Cape was not ignored, he emphasized that the project needed to be done respectfully and with the right "cultural understanding."

The 34-year-old megastar said consultation, respect, and acknowledging the existence of the peoples were fundamental to the story.

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First Published: Jan 05 2016 | 10:04 AM IST

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