Boris Johnson narrowly avoids a colonial gaffe in Burma after getting ticked off by a British ambassador
The Foreign Office’s chief diplomat was caught whispering to him that it was not a good idea to recite the Rudyard Kipling poem Mandalay
BORIS Johnson has been caught on camera getting ticked off by a British ambassador for a colonial gaffe.
The Foreign Secretary recited lines from the Rudyard Kipling poem, Mandalay, while waiting for an official function to start at a temple in Burma.
The classic poem celebrates a British soldier’s love affair with a local woman during the UK’s colonial rule of the country.
The embarrassing moment was caught by a Channel 4 documentary crew, whose film is broadcast on Sunday.
As the plain-speaking mop-haired Tory starts to recite the risque poem’s verses out loud, the Foreign Office’s chief diplomat there whispers to him: “You’re on mic. Probably not a good idea”.
Boris replies: “What, The Road to Mandalay?”
The ambassador replies: “No. Not appropriate”.
Apparently unfazed by the telling off, Boris simply replies “good stuff”, before taking photos of the tourist scene on his iPhone.
The Kipling poem is considered offensive to Burmese people nowadays, as it mocks the religion of Buddhism and belittles the county’s women.
It talks about the soldier’s Burmese lover “wastin’ Christian kisses on an ‘eathen idol’s foot: Bloomin’ idol made o’ mud , Wot they called the Great Gawd Budd”.
It goes on: “Plucky lot she cared for idols when I kissed ‘er where she stud! On the road to Mandalay”.
Burma – now officially known as Myanmar - was a British empire colony between 1824–1948.
- Boris Johnson: Blond Ambition is on Channel 4 on Sunday, 10.05pm.