'I'm always surprised by the lack of black and brown faces' - Sir Lenny Henry discusses diversity at UK festivals

‘I’m always surprised by the lack of black and brown faces’ – Sir Lenny Henry discusses diversity at UK festivals

Sir Lenny Henry has spoken about how he is “always surprised” by the lack of black people at music festivals in the UK.

Speaking about Glastonbury Festival, the actor and comedian said it is “interesting” that he does not see any black people in the audience.

Glastonbury takes place next week at Worthy Farm in Somerset, finally celebrating its 50th anniversary after being delayed by the pandemic, with Sir Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish and rapper Kendrick Lamar confirmed as headliners.

Discussing diversity and places where different groups do not mix, the 63-year-old said: “It’s interesting to watch Glastonbury and look at the audience and not see any black people there.

“I’m always surprised by the lack of black and brown faces at festivals. I think, ‘Wow, that’s still very much a dominant culture thing’.”

He made the comments during an interview for Radio Times about his latest documentary.

The two-part show looks into how Caribbean culture was introduced into the UK, speaking to a variety of guests including Levi Roots, Billy Ocean and Judy Love.

During his interview, Sir Lenny also addressed Clive Myrie recently becoming the first black host of the long-running BBC quiz show Mastermind.

He said: “It’s great to have David Olusoga on television talking about black British history that goes back to Hadrian’s Wall.

“Somewhere the gatekeepers have changed, because now we’re allowed to have you on Mastermind. But how long did that take?

“We still want more representation because we deserve it. We are British citizens, we are colonials.”

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