Is Capcom's Resident Evil 5, the latest installment in the horror game franchise, racist?

According to microscopiq, previews of the game are causing controversy as they show a white protagonist blasting his way through armies of black zombies. The game is set in a dusty desert village somewhere in Africa, portraying the Dark Continent as a place of ill will and a virtual wasteland.
Wired's Game|Life theorizes the problem lies in Japanese game designers not knowing their American history.

Nonetheless, "light and dark" will apparently be a big visual theme when Resident Evil 5 is released in the States, which could be as late as 2010.