Ever the diplomat, Ousmane Sankhon
The Japan Times: Oct. 5, 2003
.... What is the most bizarre thing you've gone through on TV?
They asked me on TV whether black people tan. I said, yes, of course; we have beaches in Africa too! Then they asked me whether black people use suntan lotion. I said yes, how come? But all they said was let's go see how it works on you.
So we went to a tanning salon in Meguro [in Tokyo]. I undressed down to a pair of briefs and they placed heart-shaped adhesive patches here and there on my body. I spent an hour under the light.
Afterward, they removed the patches and could see that I'd tanned. This aired live. They said, "Oh, blacks do tan."
How did you feel about these episodes, personally?
To be honest, I think such things are stupid. People laugh, but in my heart I laugh back at them.
....we have a saying in Guinea: "No matter how long you leave a tree in water, it will never become an alligator." In other words, no matter how long I live in Japan, I'll always maintain my culture and customs. This is who I am.