Prince William Accused Of Having ‘White Savior Mentality’ For This Reason

Prince William was recently accused of having a “white savior mentality” by critics.

According to Cosmopolitan, the negative comments directed at Prince William came up following the screening of a film centered on his wildlife conservation efforts in Tanzania. The clip, which features United for Wildlife organization and Tusk, did not prominently showcase African figures.

Prince William’s film featured one African student speaking positively about the Duke of Cambridge’s leadership skills. Following the release of the film, critics accused Prince William of putting himself before the black people in Africa while making it seem that he was helping their country.

“How did William get to be in charge of our African wildlife? All our conservancies should be left to locals who are original owners of the lands to manage,” one person tweeted.

Dr. Mordecai Ogada, the director of Kenya-based Conservation Solutions Afrika, said that the film would’ve been better if Prince William included the voices of the local people.

“Conservation even now, nearly 55 years after Kenya got independence, is still the one arena where Prince William can waltz into Kenya and tell us he wants us to do this, that, or the other. The message that goes out now is that African wildlife is in danger, and the source of the danger is black people and that people from the US [and everywhere] have to come and save wildlife from these black people,” he said.

Stephen Corry, the director of human rights organization Survival International, seconded Ogada’s statement.

“Non-Africans are presented in the film as the real experts on conservation, while the locals are not seen as having anything worthwhile to contribute other than their grateful thanks,” he said.

As of late, Prince William has not yet released a response regarding the recent backlash. But the dad of three previously said that wildlife conservation is very important to him.

“Poaching is an economic crime against ordinary people and their futures. It is heartbreaking to think that by the time my children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, are in their 20s, elephants, rhinos, and tigers might well be extinct in the wild,” he said.