“Ijakadi” was a theatrical project that focused on the critical issue of colourism, often overlooked in mainstream culture. Led by Utopia Theatre, it used performance to delve into the nuanced aspects of colourism, fostering a deeper and more empathetic comprehension of the issue. In 2024, The Centre for Equity & Inclusion funded a knowledge exchange between lead artist, Julius Obende, and PGR student Ke Li to assist with the research and development of this project. Below, Ke Li summarises her findings:
Colourism refers to the unequal treatment of individuals based on their skin tone, affecting people of colour globally (Dhillon-Jamerson 2018; Dixon and Telles 2017). While it is connected to racism, colourism is a distinct issue that favours those with lighter skin tones and marginalizes individuals with darker skin, impacting various racial and ethnic groups (Hunter, 2007). This phenomenon manifests in many forms, such as in employment practices (see Visser, 2017), beauty industries and social media platforms (see Elmi, 2024), as well as at personal levels (see Craddock et al., 2023), particularly within family dynamics (Phoenix and Craddock, 2025).
In the UK, the psychological effects of colourism are profound. Members of Black and South Asian communities often experience internalised colourism, which can result in lower self-esteem, identity conflicts and mental health issues (Phoenix et al., 2025). Despite growing media focus on this issue, research on colourism in the UK remains limited (Phoenix and Craddock, 2022).
In 2024, Julius Obende, the resident artist at Utopia Theatre, initiated a project called “IJAKADI,” meaning “wrestling” in Yoruba. This project was inspired from Julius’s experiences in Nigeria, where his mother advised him that wearing black would make his dark skin less visible. Julius aimed to combine his and others’ personal experience to develop a theatrical piece that incorporates movement, dance, text, music, and sound to express a story against colourism.
As a Chinese immigrant new to the UK, I have encountered both racism and colourism. During the Covid-19 pandemic, discrimination against the Chinese community was prevalent, and within the East Asian community, there is often a preference for lighter skin tones. A well-known Chinese saying, “a white skin can hide many flaws” (yi bai zhe bai chou or yi bai zhe san chou), continues to shape the perceptions of beauty among women in China, even those with advanced education (Zhang, 2012). Historically, East Asian societies have associated skin tone with social class, as the elite typically avoided outdoor labour that would darken their skin (Leong, 2006). As a teenager, I felt pressure from friends, family, and the beauty industry to use various skincare and makeup products to achieve a lighter complexion. Similar to Julius’s experience with the black jumper, these societal expectations led us to question our beauty and diminished our confidence in social interactions.
Drawing from our shared experiences, Julius and I decided that I, the researcher, should conduct focus groups to explore the personal experiences of colourism among people of colour living in Sheffield. Research has shown that colourism often has a gendered aspect (Hunter, 2002; Craddock et al., 2023; Phoenix et al., 2022; Reece, 2021). In contrast to previous studies, our data collection included a higher number of men than women. We had 6 men and 1 woman, all identifying as people of colour from Black and South Asian communities, sign up, with 4 men and 1 woman participating in an online pilot study for the focus groups.
In the focus group interview, several participants shared their encounters with colourism. A notable trend emerged regarding the influence of stepfamily members, particularly stepparents. Stepsiblings, often shaped by the attitudes of their stepparents, frequently exhibited discriminatory behaviours towards the participants as well. Additionally, some participants encountered instances of colourism they faced from professionals like dentists and teachers.
As Julius and I explored in our pre-interview discussions, we believe that biases related to colourism are not innate but rather stem from societal structures that gradually instil these prejudices, often reinforced by figures of authority in a child’s upbringing. This perspective aligns with the participants’ narratives and highlights the need for further research into the experiences of people of colour in the UK, addressing both institutional and interpersonal dimensions.
So far, Julius has already presented a showcase of his performance, and he plans to develop it further by incorporating audio and video elements gathered from the focus group. This approach will enhance the analytical dimensions of his work, as well as the community engagement in creative arts in Sheffield.
References:
Craddock, N., Gentili, C., Phoenix, A., White, P., Diedrichs, P. C., & Barlow, F. K. (2023). Investigating the role of perceived ingroup and outgroup colourism on body image and wellbeing among Black, Asian, and other racialised/ethnic minority groups living in the UK. Body Image, 46, 246-255.
Dhillon-Jamerson, K. K. (2018). Euro-Americans favoring people of color: Covert racism and economies of White colorism. American Behavioral Scientist, 62(14), 2087-2100.
Dixon, A. R., & Telles, E. E. (2017). Skin color and colorism: Global research, concepts, and measurement. Annual Review of Sociology, 43(1), 405-424.
Elmi, S. (2024). The Effect of Eurocentric Beauty: A qualitative study about Eurocentric beauty standards and ideals and its effect on women of colour.
Hunter, M. L. (2002). “If you’re light you’re alright” light skin color as social capital for women of color. Gender & society, 16(2), 175-193.
Hunter, M. (2007). The persistent problem of colorism: Skin tone, status, and inequality. Sociology compass, 1(1), 237-254.
Leong, S. (2006). Who’s the fairest of them all? Television ads for skin-whitening cosmetics in Hong Kong. Asian Ethnicity, 7(2), 167-181.
Phoenix, A., & Craddock, N. (2022). Black Men’s Experiences of Colourism in the UK. Sociology, 56(5), 1015-1031.
Phoenix, A., & Craddock, N. (2025). Dark skin penalty, shame and resistance: negotiating colourism in UK families. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 48(1), 4-25.
Reece, R. L. (2021). The gender of colorism: Understanding the intersection of skin tone and gender inequality. Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, 4(1), 47-55.
Visser, M. A. (2017). Shedding light on economic opportunity: skin tone and job quality during the Great Recession. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43(9), 1562-1579.
Zhang, M. (2012). A Chinese beauty story: how college women in China negotiate beauty, body image, and mass media. Chinese Journal of Communication, 5(4), 437–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/17544750.2012.723387