The famous ginger quiff of Tintin has wowed fans for decades. Travelling the world on wild adventures with his dog, Snowy, the comic books contained elements of fantasy, mystery, even political thrillers. And political is exactly what this episode has become.

Originally published in the early 1930s, Tintin in the Congo follows the intrepid boy reporter to the Belgian Congo, in what was seen as deepest darkest Africa - at the time a Belgian colony. There the adventurers hire a local guide, visit remote villages, even encounter wildlife. So far so normal for a swashbuckler. But it’s the language and imagery used in the comic which has caused outrage
in those critical of it.

The guide looks like a golliwog - pitch black complexion, big eyes and plump red lips. And the views espoused are racist and colonialist. The Belgian writer and illustrator, Hergé who wrote them, later said he regretted writing it - a
youthful bit of fun which reflected the prejudices of the time.

But that’s not how Bienvenue Mbutu sees it. He’s a Congolese national living in Belgium and he’s asking the courts to ban the book, although he says he would be satisfied if it was sold with a warning about the content.

Nkem Ifejika, BBC News ( Fuente www.bbc.com)

Vocabulary

ginger quiff

hairstyle, worn usually by men, in which the hair at the front of the head is brushed up. If your hair is ginger, it’s red or orange

has wowed

has impressed, made people think it is very good

intrepid

very brave, showing no signs of fear

colony

country or area which is controlled politically and often economically by a more powerful and often distant country

a swashbuckler

a person who behaves in a brave and exciting way

a golliwog

an old-fashioned child’s toy made of soft material, in the form of a small man with a black face and stiff black hair. The term ‘golliwog’ is nowadays considered racist when it is used to refer to a black person

the views espoused are racist and colonialist

the opinions held express negative ideas about the people because of the colour of their skin. The opinions also support the idea of one country having power over another (having it as a colony)

prejudices

negative views of other people based not on fact but on unfair and unreasonable opinions or feelings

ban

stop something being available to buy legally

a warning about the content

a sign (on the book’s cover, for example) which lets readers know that the story might upset them or make them angry

Es comunmente usado como verbo y adjetivo, y muy rara vez como nombre. Es bastante similar a sick y ache, y tambien puede significar lo mismo que injure o injured ( herido o no herido). La diferencia clave entre sick y ache es que hurt se refiere a un malestar generado por algo externo a la persona, mientras que los otros se refiere a algo fisico.

Be careful on that ladder, you might hurt yourself if you fall – here it is used as a verb

He was badly hurt in the train crash – here it is used as an adjective

Cuando es usado como nombre, hurt suele referirse a dolor emocional.
When he told her he wanted a divorce she could hear a lot of hurt in his voice.

Son normalmente utilizados como adjetivos.

I feel sick.

Ed had to leave school early because he was ill.

Sick es comunmente utilizado cuando sientes ganas de vomitar.

I think I’m going to be sick.

Mientras que ill se refiere a sentirse mal.  Sin embargo, hay algunas frases que son comunmente usadas en las que sick tiene un significado mas general.

I’ve been off sick for ten days – meaning I haven’t been to work/school for ten days because I’ve been feeling unwell.

Sick can also be used as a noun to refer to vomit. For example:

If you have children, you can be sure that you will have to clear up some sick at least once during their childhood.

Son utilizados normalmente como nombres. Se refiere a dolores en el cuerpo. Pain se utiliza para dolores agudos, mientras que Ache se usa para dolores mas continuados.

Yesterday I suddenly felt a lot of pain in my stomach. I was taken to hospital where they discovered I had appendicitis.

headache, stomach ache, backache and heartache

** Nota: Headache también es usado para referirse a dolores emocionales.

He is causing me a lot of heartache.

Menos comunmente, se pueden utilizar como verbos.  Pains significa infelicidad.
It pains me to think of you being so unhappy with your life – meaning it makes me feel unhappy that you are so sad.

Ache tambien se puede utilizar como verbo, para referirse a dolores continuos.

My back is really aching.
I wish my leg would stop hurting, it really aches.

Es una palabra que se utiliza cuando una ersona decide quedarse en casa en vez de irse de vacaciones. Es la unión de “Stay” y “vacation” .

eating ‘al desko’

Significa comer al aire libre, por ejemplo en un picnic.

Meandertal

Se dice de aquella persona que conduce muy lento .

Angsty

palabra usada normalmente por adolescentes para decir “ansiedad”