The Chase star ‘Dark Destroyer’ Shaun Wallace on racism, colonisation and being a goal model

Shaun Wallace is a barrister by day and a celebrity quizzer by night. He’s one of six chasers on the British quiz and TVNZ show The Chase and was the first black man to apply and to win Mastermind. The Dark Destroyer has teamed up with Believe it or Not Quiz Events to raise money for charities across Aotearoa. He even paid his own costs to get here.

In an interview with Te Ao with Moana reporter Hikurangi Jackson, Wallace said he’s proud to show that “people of colour do have that same intellectual capacity as our white counterparts”.

“It’s wonderful and it goes to show that you know, for years, that people of colour have been put down in terms of their supposed lack of intellectual ability. So whether you’re black, Māori or any other ethnic grouping, we still have the same intellectual capacity as our white counterparts and we’ve created, invented and made a positive contribution to world history. And sometimes that’s been sort of airbrushed out of history by the white colonialists for want of a better expression. So I’m proud to be that representative,” he says.

“I’ve always been proud to be black, always proud of my heritage.”

Culture and colonisation

Wallace is of Jamaican descent and the eldest of four children. Last year he featured on the British programme DNA Journey where he travelled to the Caribbean to learn more about his ancestry in Nigeria, Jamaica and many other African countries.

“It was wonderful for me, being able to be in a position, courtesy via TV of course, to be tracing my ancestry, which went back to the mid-17th century.”

Wallace says having discussions about colonisation is important.

“We’re seeing that in the Caribbean, in relation to a vast majority of Caribbean nations now, claiming to be independent from the Crown to actually seek reparations in relation to the sort of colonisation of the Caribbean states and nations,” he says.

“Whilst you can’t rewrite history or unscramble time, I think it’s important that white colonial powers, be it Britain, France, European powers which used to dominate the world, should recognise what they’ve done in terms of trying to actually suppress our culture, and where necessary to pay the reparations.”

Hikurangi Jackson interviews Shaun Wallace on Te Ao with Moana. Photo / Te Ao Māori News

Racism

Wallace says in the 1960′s black people suffered overt racism. As a kid he had a wall called My Inspiration with people of colour he looked up to including three-time FIFA World Cup winner Pelé, Muhammad Ali; cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers; American track and field athlete Jesse Owens; and American activist Harriet Tubman.

“These are people who I looked up to who made a positive contribution by virtue of what they believed in, by virtue of their talent, by virtue of their intellectual prowess but were black just like me. So to see that made me feel proud to be black,” says Wallace.

“When I saw what these people had achieved in life, if I could have a fraction of what they’ve achieved, that I was going to have success in my life. With fame does come responsibility and I think you should use your fame in an altruistic way to try and help others rather than be selfish and introverted in terms of keeping it to yourself.”

Last week Wallace attended a quiz night in Auckland to help raise money for Sir John Walker’s charity Find Your Field of Dreams, before visiting Hawke’s Bay to support people affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. In Wellington, he raised money for the Lifelight charity then travelled to the south island to support Southland Youthline. On Thursday he wraps up his tour in Kaiapoi supporting the Kaiapoi Promotion Charity.

Fame

Wallace says fame has never changed him.

“I know what it’s like not to have nothing. 25 years ago I was ‘Shaun who’. My life changed exponentially, I suppose dramatically when I won Mastermind. I remember I sat there, you know, tears of joy running down my face. But I remember the difficult times. I remember the harsh times and you know what, the one thing I don’t take for granted is fame. Because once you start taking that for granted, once it goes, you don’t know what to do with it. So with me, once I became well known, especially later on in life, I can appreciate what it’s like to have nothing. And I’m grateful for what I’ve got and as long as I am in the public eye, I’m going to try and use my fame in an altruistic way to try and help others.”

Wallace says he prefers to be known as a “goal model” not a “role model”.

“The reason why is that people have a tendency to deify their heroes and put them on a pedestal. But any human being, we all make mistakes. And as I say, if you put somebody on a pedestal the fall from grace can be swift and unrelenting if you do make mistakes and sometimes the press and the public can be unforgiving,” he says.

“So I like to basically call myself a goal model in terms of the goals and challenges that I set for myself that people can actually be inspired to and hopefully surpass those achievements I made. And I’m comfortable being closer to the floor.”