Limkokwing University says 'King of Africa' billboard designed by employee as surprise gift for founder

Limkokwing University's spokesperson told A+M that the "King of Africa" billboard was not part of a formal project or initiative. Instead, it was designed by an employee as a surprise gift for founder Lim Kok Wing after his return from Africa, which the spokesperson said was done "in poor taste". The billboard was previously located on the campus plaza.

The university recently apologised for and removed a billboard which said "King of Africa" and had an illustration of Lim posing with a cheetah. Next to it was an image of Lim standing in the centre of a large crowd of students, allegedly from Sierra Leone.

According to a petition that has been circulating online calling for the removal of the condescending billboard, the image of Lim in the centre of his students allegedly taken in Sierra Leone portrays him as a saviour. "This perpetuates the notion that black people need saving, taking away their power and psychologically placing them in an inferior role," the petition said. It added that the use of a jungle animal and reference to "king" perpetuates ideas of Africa as one big jungle and "adds to the (wrongful) animalistic characterisation of the students".

The petition also said that the use of the photo pressing up against Lim is "a common photo used by the media to portray black people as 'savage' and 'animalistic'". "The photo has been edited to increase the horde of black students surrounding him, further painting him as a 'hero'. This paints a picture of these students lacking individuality perpetuating the notion that all black people are the same," the petition said. It had 4,290 signatures at the time of writing.

Separately in a recent tweet, the university said it agrees the poster was "a misstep" and it was removed on 5 June. "We were wrong and for that, we would like to formally extend our heartfelt and sincerest apologies to our beloved students, employees, and the community. We are sorry," the university said.

Despite the apology, several users have called out the university for being racist and some also called for Lim to resign. Another user also called the billboard "self-aggrandising, politically grotesque and tone-deaf" from an institution of higher education. In an earlier response to one of the users, the university said it stands united against racism and it does not condone any discriminatory acts against any particular race. "At Limkokwing University, we acknowledge, respect, embrace and celebrate our differences," it said.

Meanwhile, there were also screenshots of direct messages sent to users by the university circulating on Twitter. In the screenshots, the university said it is certainly proud to have students from 38 African countries studying at the university, together with students from 117 other countries.

"African students have studied with us since 2001 and the university is extremely proud to have supported the late Nelson Mandela’s campaign for independence from the apartheid regime in 1994. We definitely do not condone any discriminatory acts against any particular race as that will be totally against our mandate," the university said. Besides is Cyberjaya campus, the university also has a presence in Botswana, Eswatini and Lesotho.

The recent Black Lives Matter protests in the US have shone a spotlight on race issues in the region. Recently, former Miss Universe Malaysia Samantha Katie James came under fire for her remarks about the protests. She previously told black people to "relax, take it as a challenge as it makes [them] stronger", adding that they chose to be born as a coloured person in America for a reason.

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