Leaflets promoting The Soul Exchange have been criticised for “demeaning” the Somali community.
The event is running over two nights in Butetown, Cardiff, next week and will see visitors taking a taxi journey around the area while listening to and viewing a performance.
But promotional material has been accused of creating racial tension through its cartoon depiction of a taxi driver.
Mohamed Dualeh, a project co-ordinator in the Somali Youth Association in Loudoun Square, said the hand-drawn image appeared to be a representation of Somalia president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.
And he claimed a skull and crossbones drawn on the dashboard implied Somalis condoned piracy, while images showing a mosque and a coffin were “sinister”.
But the artistic director of National Theatre Wales, which is organising the performance, said the images were not intended to cause offence and rebutted Mr Dualeh’s accusations that Somali people in the area had not been consulted properly over the leaflet.
The show follows a young man in search of his father, and is intended to explore the area’s rich mix of cultures.
Mr Dualeh, 42, said: “They are telling us they are celebrating diversity but when you look at it, they are demeaning a whole community.
“A lot of people don’t like it at all.”
Mr Dualeh, who lives in Cardiff Bay, said the pictures were insulting.
“It’s a deliberate and calculated poster. They know what it says. One picture is equivalent to 1,000 words,” he said.
But John McGrath, of National Theatre Wales, categorically denied the pictures were meant to be offensive, and said another version would be produced without the images.
“We have been working with all the communities in Butetown, including members of the Somali community, to develop this piece,” he said.
“A lot of members of the Somali community had seen the flyer and publicity in advance and are working with us on the show, and there hadn’t been any complaints.”
Ibrahim Harbi, of the Somali Integration Society, said: “It’s difficult, you can’t consult with everyone.”
Source: www.walesonline.co.uk
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