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"wouldn't it be helpful for her to host a show on which she features rap artists? "
Honestly, no I don't. Oprah has worked long and hard at having HER own show. She doesn't owe anyone, including "us" anything. She can have whatever topics discussed on HER show that she chooses. I, personally, have seen various rap artists featured on her show. Specifically, what comes to mind the quickest is when she had Ludacris on her show along with, I believe it was, Don Cheadle and other entertainers discussing the word "Nigger". She has people on her show who are pertinent to her topics when she wants and I don't think it's fair to try to make her feel obligated to have who we think she should have when we think she should have them. There are many different types of black people in this country and in this world who have varying views, likes and dislikes and Oprah is doing what she likes and wants to do. Anyone else who wishes to host rap artists on their show can do so whenever they wish. I understand and appreciate your point about her being such a high-grossing celebrity with an influential audience, but at the same time, the business savvy brilliance that she has is alos directing her on how to maintain her throne at the top of talk shows and to her, it may be that having that type of show may not be the best thing for her audience or her business. Who knows? Again, that's her call to make, not ours.
We can't be too bothered by what the citizens of Cape Town or any other black populated nation or region has to say about our people here in America. Cape Town citizens have their own varying social issues that they have to face. Perhaps those people there who are critical of Black Americans need to wise up and realize that just as depictions made abroad about Africa are not truly representative of the realities there, the same can and should be said about black Americans and America. Its not their fault the good about South Africa doesn't get depicted to us here in the U.S and its not our fault the good about black Americans aren't depicted there.
Bottom line is that Oprah has opened the door for other young, talented black people to get out there, use their brains and make it as talk show hosts or any other things that they choose to do. That means that other people can get out there and do that. ANy person who wants to have rap artists featured on their show can do so, but don't force Oprah to be the one voice or outlet of that one facet of our culture. That's not fair, espcially given ALL the things she already does for our community that NO ONE can argue that she doesn't do.
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