“That ‘unidentified leader’ Darlene is identifiable to the other leaders. Such ignorance you displayed because you only know white leaders.”
A journalist covering the White House in Washington DC, United States, Darlene Superville, has come under heavy criticism on Twitter for describing South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, as 'unidentified leader' in a group photo composed of Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Superville on Monday tweeted, “World leaders hug before the group photo @ #G7Summit in Biarritz, France. @EmmanuelMacron, @narendramodi, @JustinTrudeau and one unidentified leader.”
The tweet has since generated responses from mostly South Africans, who found her description offensive.
Attributing it to ignorance, @stellarated said, “That ‘unidentified leader’ Darlene is identifiable to the other leaders. Such ignorance you displayed because you only know white leaders.”
Kayode Ogundamisi with the handle @Ogundamisi, said, “Who are you again? Oh sorry, @WhiteHouse Correspondent?
“The 'unidentified leader’ is the President of South Africa. South Africa is a country in Africa. Name? Cyril Ramaphosa. Try @Wikipedia.”
Another Twitter user, @Nmadzenga said, “Dear Darlene, the one ‘unidentified leader’ is the President of the Republic of South Africa, a country located in your ancestral roots called Africa.
“This is where all of you African-Americans come from. Lastly, I would like to invite you to come to @ProudlySA @GovernmentZA.”