How the NAACP Helped Free The Oompa Loompas of 1964

Yes! The Oompa Loompas from the 1964 book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, were African Slaves.

A children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The narrative is rich with imagination, creativity, and moral lessons, but it also unearths complex themes that reflect the societal context of its time.

Everytime a film release transpired, the Oompa Loompas were rewritten as something else weather it be one man acting as many Loompas being virtually identical or simple puppets on a string.

Back when the first Chocolate factory book was released in 1964, black people all over the globe were dealing with a distinctive living situation. Martin Luther King, Jr. was heading the National Civil Rights Movement of America, while Haiti faced constitutional referendum made President François "Papa Doc" Duvalier president for life, with absolute power and Jamaica competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan for the first since their independence in 1962 and lost - Gold, Silver and Bronze - all across the board.

Slavery was still legal then. It wasn't until 1865, that US by Congress voted the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to abolish slavery in the United States. So, more than interesting to see an american author wrote African slaves into his book during a time it was written and published.

The Oompa-Loompas were a tribe of 3,000 amiable black pygmies imported by Mr. Wonka from ‘the very deepest and darkest part of the African jungle where no white man had been before.’

Mr. Wonka kept them in the factory, where they had replaced the sacked white workers. The little slaves were delighted with their new living circumstances, and particularly with their diet of all you eat chocolate. Before they lived on green caterpillars, beetles, eucalyptus leaves, ‘and the bark of the bong-bong tree. Obviously an upgrade in their eyes.

Oompa-Loompa illustration by Joseph Schindelman, copyright © 1964 and renewed 1992 by Joseph Schindelman, from CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY by Roald Dahl. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

The Oompa Loompas were illustrated by Joseph Schindelman for the first and revised US editions.

In the context of this problematic portrayal, The Oompa Loompas could be seen as significant to black people in a negative way, as it perpetuates harmful stereotypes and contributes to the dehumanization of marginalized groups. It is important to recognize and challenge harmful representations in media and advocate for more thoughtful, inclusive, and respectful depictions of all people.

As a messianic figure, Wonka believes he has “rescued” the Oompa-Loompas from certain death. Saving his tiny “helpers” from near starvation, he offers them shelter from their predators, the Snozzwangers and Whangdoodles.

Their servitude, Wonka insists, is a special privilege, a pro-slavery sentiment that echoes the “positive good” defence of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

With this said, if you look at it they were individuals who were chosen by Willy Wonka to help make delicious chocolate delectables for others to enjoy and they were allowed to have more than their fair share of it as a scrumptious compensation!

Despite the seemingly benevolent framing, the reality remains that the Oompa Loompas were subjected to harsh conditions and treated as lesser beings within the factory. While they were depicted as enjoying the perks of their chocolate-filled existence, they were, in essence, prisoners confined to the factory, deprived of autonomy and agency. 

They worked tirelessly in exchange for cocoa beans, even as the Wonka earned real money for their labor. They were restricted to areas inside the factory as well. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka learned the tribal language when negotiating a deal with the Oompa Loompas, but he was proud that "they all speak English now," further underscoring the dynamics of power and control at play.

Besides the unreasonable wage and inhumane treatment, Oompa Loompas were Wonka's test subjects for new inventions. Although the film showed "Whips - All Shapes and Sizes" as cows being whipped to produce cream, the rooms could have been another indication of the chocolatier's full ownership of Oompa Loompas. 

The book was first adapted into a feature film as a musical, titled Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), starring the iconic Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.

Although, Dahl insisted there was no racist intent behind the Oompa Loompas, when news broke in 1970 that there was to be a film of the book, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said the importation of the Oompa Loompas to the factory had overtones of slavery. Dahl found himself sympathising with the NAACP. 

Fighting the allegations of racism, Dahl rewrote the Loompas in time for the second US edition as white hippy dwarves hailing from an invented place, “Loompaland”. The film, avoided the issue of race altogether, making them green-haired and orange-skinned.

In a sense, one could argue that the NAACP played a role in liberating the Oompa Loompas from their initial portrayal, sparking a necessary dialogue about representation and sensitivity in literature and media. 

Regardless of the controversies surrounding Dahl's intentions, many black children have grown up enjoying the adventures of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, along with its sequels and film adaptations.

It is essential to acknowledge the complexities of the narrative while recognizing Dahl's attempts to address and rectify any problematic elements in subsequent editions.

Mr. Dahl should be given considerable credit for trying to rectify any complicating issues. It is a great story. That should be enjoyed by many generations of children to come and accepted for its classic quality.

Ultimately, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remains a classic tale, filled with wonder and imagination, and it continues to resonate with generations of readers. While it is vital to engage with the historical and cultural implications of the text, it is equally important to appreciate the story's enduring charm and the joy it has brought to countless children. The narrative serves as a reminder of the power of storytelling and the responsibility that comes with it, encouraging more thoughtful and inclusive representations in literature for future generations.