British comedian faces backlash after being ‘schooled’ by Ugandan tour guide

Romesh was in Uganda to film episodes of his BAFTA-winning show, 'The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan'.

In the show, he visits African countries that are not typical tourist destinations and tries to find out if it’s worth a trip for fellow Brits.

During the visit, the comedian caught up with a tour guide identified only as Alex, who engaged him on his concerns about Ugandan laws such as the Anti-homosexuality Act which was passed last year.

Romesh got to experience Uganda's nature pulse uganda

Alex, calmly explained that she, like most people in Uganda, welcomed the legislation.

“It represents what we believe as a people. Women marry men, that's it. There's no in-between,” she told the comic'

As he pushed further, Alex swatted away his objections. She told him that being gay was a choice and that every society has rules about what is not permissible — and Britain's rules were too lax for her culture.

Backlash

Some groups in the UK, however, were not happy with how the comedian handled the exchange. Some believe he was not confrontational enough.

Check out: A gay Ugandan man faces deportation from Canada due to inability to verify his sexual orientation

One commentator wrote in the Daily Mail, slamming Romesh for being “shallow” and his “general lack of research.”

Romesh learning about Ugandan artwork pulse uganda

“He struggled to articulate his outrage to Alex…This show's running joke is that he is not a confrontational chap — he wants to like everyone,” wrote Christopher Stevens.

“He might take the mickey but never gets stuck into an argument. That has been the chief weakness of the show since it first aired in 2018, and never before has it been so ruthlessly highlighted.”

The first part of Romesh’s visit aired on May 29 at 9:00 p.m. on BBC Two.