S.H.E's Ella Chen apologises for comments offensive to indigenous tribe in Taiwan

Ella Chen has apologised for causing offence after joking about the traditional rituals of an indigenous group. Ella Chen/Facebook

Taiwanese singer Ella Chen has apologised for causing offence after joking about the traditional rituals of an indigenous group.

Chen, of Taiwanese girl group S.H.E, made the comments when promoting the movie Listen Before You Sing, which was released in Taiwan on April 16. In the movie, Chen plays a teacher guiding a choir formed by children from the indigenous Bunun tribe.

The movie, whose box office takings in Taiwan have exceeded NT$25mil (RM3.7mil) also features Taiwanese rock band Mayday's song Contentment.

On Saturday (April 24), Chen, 39, was asked by the media what she would do if the movie's takings exceed NT$50mil.

She said in jest that she would invite Mayday to wear the tribe's costume for a celebratory ritual. And they would have to wear just the top half of the costume, she said, adding "as for the lower half, I'd leave it to everyone's imagination".

But her comments drew flak, leading Chen to say sorry in a social media post on Monday. She wrote in Chinese that she would like to apologise to the Bunun tribe for her ignorance of its culture and said she made ignorant, rude and tasteless jokes which had made the group uncomfortable.

"As a public figure, I have to pay more attention to my words and actions, and should have more understanding of different cultures so as not to hurt others due to my lack of understanding," she said.

Chen also apologised to Mayday.

Her Facebook post has received more than 90,000 likes as of Monday afternoon, as netizens praised her for her willingness to admit her fault.

Mayday lead vocalist Ashin also left a comment, calling for the support of the movie, indigenous culture and Chen for her efforts in the movie.

Bunun musician Wu Diyang also said: "I believe as long as we are willing to understand each other's culture, an unintentional mistake can be forgiven with three cups of wine."

Chen has focused on acting and TV hosting after S.H.E, which also comprise Selina Jen and Hebe Tien, parted ways with record company HIM International Music in 2018. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network