SIR Lenny Henry has said he is “always surprised by the lack of black and brown faces” in festival audiences.
The actor and comedian, 63, made the comments while in conversation with BBC journalist and presenter Clive Myrie for Radio Times.
Discussing diversity and places where different groups do not mix, he said: “It’s interesting to watch Glastonbury and look at the audience and not see any black people there.
“I’m always surprised by the lack of black and brown faces at festivals. I think, ‘Wow, that’s still very much a dominant culture thing’.”
Glastonbury Festival will return to Worthy Farm in Somerset next week after two cancellations caused by the pandemic.
It will be headlined by Billie Eilish, Sir Paul McCartney, and Kendrick Lamar and will feature hundreds of artists across its dozens of stages.
Sir Lenny spoke after festival co-organiser Emily Eavis said Stormzy’s Pyramid Stage performance – which saw him become the first black solo British headliner in the festival’s history – came “a little bit late”.
Speaking in a BBC Two documentary, Ms Eavis said: “He was representing the black community in a very predominately white festival and obviously that’s a really important moment for us, but it’s also a little bit late maybe.
“We should have probably done it before.”
Sir Lenny, who is fronting a two-part documentary about Caribbean culture in the UK, also addressed Myrie recently becoming the first black host of long-running BBC quiz show Mastermind.
He said: “It’s great to have David Olusoga on television talking about black British history that goes back to Hadrian’s Wall.
“Somewhere the gatekeepers have changed, because now we’re allowed to have you on Mastermind. But how long did that take?
“We still want more representation because we deserve it. We are British citizens, we are colonials.
“We’ve been in this country, we have grown up in this country, we’ve contributed and a lot of us feel it still isn’t being reciprocated enough.
“That’s also what this documentary is about. It’s about that feeling of ‘Well, come on, I fitted in. Now what? I’ve integrated, now what happens?’”
The PA News Agency has contacted Glastonbury Festival for a comment.
Reported by the PA News Agency
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