Post by Tukuler al~Takruri on Nov 24, 2019 19:08:11 GMT -5
this aspect of Arab culture didja? Here's the xscript of the must see al Jazeera vid www.aljazeera.com/programmes/listeningpost/2019/10/blackface-ugliness-racism-arab-media-191020132103614.html
Media Theorised
Blackface: The ugliness of racism in Arab media
Why the problematic practice of 'blacking up' can be found in entertainment across the Middle East.
20 Oct 2019 14:38 GMT Media, Racism, Middle East
Blackface, a practice that keeps appearing in modern media, was a supposed entertainment device from a bygone era. It features white or light-skinned people caricaturing those of African descent, by darkening their faces with theatrical make-up.
While across much of the western world it no longer features in mainstream art or entertainment, in the Middle East, you do not have to go back far to find examples. Blackface and caricatured depictions of black people are still seen in the media, and in most cases, they are often not even seen as offensive.
Blackface can be found particularly in Egypt, which is home to a sizeable Nubian minority - a group of Africans indigenous to present-day Sudan.
"When we watch TV shows or movies, black people are always inferior. And blackface is an inferior, negative and racist concept which should not belong in the Arab world. We almost never speak about this segment of Arab society - black people," Maha Abdul Hamid, an academic and activist, tells Al Jazeera.
"The black person is a citizen in the Arab world but an invisible citizen. Why? Because power made him invisible."
Film critic Joseph Fahim argues that many in the Arab world have not acknowledged their own racism against black people in their society.
"We would never admit that we're racist. Lebanese would never admit they're racist. The Libyans would never admit they're racist. Even people from Sudan, they would never admit that they're racist like against their own black people. And so it was only through, you know, like reading and being exposed to media that once I realise okay something really awful is going on in here," Fahim says.
Underpinning this racist form of comedy is a denial of the Middle East's history of slavery - which was not formally abolished in Arab Gulf countries until 1970.
"I am sure that when people object to the idea that blackface is offensive in the Middle East, they're saying, we are not talking about the American south, we are not talking about plantation slavery, we're not talking about the same kind of abuses or the same scale that happened in the southern United States," Eve Troutt Powell, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explains.
"However, the slave trade in the Middle East was huge. And the cultural impact of this slave trade has everything to do with black face in the Middle East."
The misrepresentation of black people has consequences off screen and in the real world.
"People have pulled my hair, spit on me, and thrown things at me," Fatima Ali, model and writer, tells Al Jazeera.
"People talk about me as though I don't understand Arabic - as though I don't know they are commenting about me."
Contributors:
Maha Abdul Hamid - academic and activist
Eve Troutt Powell - professor of Middle Eastern History, University of Pennsylvania
Joseph Fahim - film critic
Fatima Ali - activist, model and writer
Source: Al Jazeera News
[/quote]
Tell us what you think
RELATED
Alitalia responded to criticism by saying make-up was used to change actor's facial features not skin colour [Screenshot]
Alitalia's new advertisement shows a 'blacked-up' Barack Obama
The airline apologises and pulls the video after being accused of racism for ad in which actor in blackface plays Obama.
Italy, Racism, United States, Social media
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is under fire for a racial photo that appeared in his college yearbook [File: Steve Helber/AP]
Blackface, white mask: Racism as psychosis
What the blackface scandals in the US tell us about the state of white supremacy.
United States, Racism, US & Canada
Commenting has been disabled. To find out more, click here.
MORE FROM AL JAZEERA
Racism and the black hole of gun control in the US
Would tighter gun laws help protect African Americans or make them more vulnerable to racism and police brutality?
United States, Racism, Gun control
My father, a Pakistani prisoner of war in India
A daughter's tribute to the father who never recovered from his war wounds.
Magazine, Health, Longform
Occupying Alcatraz: The spark that lit the US Red Power movement
Fifty years ago a group of activists set sail to reclaim Alcatraz Island, ushering in a new era of indigenous activism.
Native Americans, Indigenous rights, United States
Interactive: How does your country vote at the UN?
We visualised 1.2 million votes at the UN since 1946. What do you think are the biggest issues facing the world today?
Interactive, United Nations, Human Rights
LATEST NEWS
{Caption}
After months of protests, Hong Kong poll draws record turnout
Local elections seen as a test for the pro-Beijing government after nearly half a year of demonstrations.
Hong Kong protests, Hong Kong, Asia Pacific, China
{Caption}
Iran vows to punish 'mercenaries' behind deadly demonstrations
Iran's leadership has blamed 'thugs' linked to the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia for stirring up unrest.
Iran, Middle East, United States
TRENDING
Khashoggi messages show distrust of 'Beast Pac-Man' MBS
US, China declare trade war ceasefire
CNN: Facts first, just not on Israel
Poroshenko for 'Normandy format' talks with Russia
Pablo Escobar's legacy 25 years on: Tributes and disgust
US Navy's Middle East chief found dead in Bahrain
Macron tells PM to hold talks with protesters
G20 Summit 2018: All the latest updates
Moon: Trump says likes North Korea's Kim, will fulfill his wishes
'World is at a crossroads. Act now or risk disaster'
© 2019 Al Jazeera Media Network
Media Theorised
Blackface: The ugliness of racism in Arab media
Why the problematic practice of 'blacking up' can be found in entertainment across the Middle East.
20 Oct 2019 14:38 GMT Media, Racism, Middle East
Blackface, a practice that keeps appearing in modern media, was a supposed entertainment device from a bygone era. It features white or light-skinned people caricaturing those of African descent, by darkening their faces with theatrical make-up.
While across much of the western world it no longer features in mainstream art or entertainment, in the Middle East, you do not have to go back far to find examples. Blackface and caricatured depictions of black people are still seen in the media, and in most cases, they are often not even seen as offensive.
Blackface can be found particularly in Egypt, which is home to a sizeable Nubian minority - a group of Africans indigenous to present-day Sudan.
"When we watch TV shows or movies, black people are always inferior. And blackface is an inferior, negative and racist concept which should not belong in the Arab world. We almost never speak about this segment of Arab society - black people," Maha Abdul Hamid, an academic and activist, tells Al Jazeera.
"The black person is a citizen in the Arab world but an invisible citizen. Why? Because power made him invisible."
Film critic Joseph Fahim argues that many in the Arab world have not acknowledged their own racism against black people in their society.
"We would never admit that we're racist. Lebanese would never admit they're racist. The Libyans would never admit they're racist. Even people from Sudan, they would never admit that they're racist like against their own black people. And so it was only through, you know, like reading and being exposed to media that once I realise okay something really awful is going on in here," Fahim says.
Underpinning this racist form of comedy is a denial of the Middle East's history of slavery - which was not formally abolished in Arab Gulf countries until 1970.
"I am sure that when people object to the idea that blackface is offensive in the Middle East, they're saying, we are not talking about the American south, we are not talking about plantation slavery, we're not talking about the same kind of abuses or the same scale that happened in the southern United States," Eve Troutt Powell, professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explains.
"However, the slave trade in the Middle East was huge. And the cultural impact of this slave trade has everything to do with black face in the Middle East."
The misrepresentation of black people has consequences off screen and in the real world.
"People have pulled my hair, spit on me, and thrown things at me," Fatima Ali, model and writer, tells Al Jazeera.
"People talk about me as though I don't understand Arabic - as though I don't know they are commenting about me."
Contributors:
Maha Abdul Hamid - academic and activist
Eve Troutt Powell - professor of Middle Eastern History, University of Pennsylvania
Joseph Fahim - film critic
Fatima Ali - activist, model and writer
Source: Al Jazeera News
[/quote]
Tell us what you think
RELATED
Alitalia responded to criticism by saying make-up was used to change actor's facial features not skin colour [Screenshot]
Alitalia's new advertisement shows a 'blacked-up' Barack Obama
The airline apologises and pulls the video after being accused of racism for ad in which actor in blackface plays Obama.
Italy, Racism, United States, Social media
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is under fire for a racial photo that appeared in his college yearbook [File: Steve Helber/AP]
Blackface, white mask: Racism as psychosis
What the blackface scandals in the US tell us about the state of white supremacy.
United States, Racism, US & Canada
Commenting has been disabled. To find out more, click here.
MORE FROM AL JAZEERA
Racism and the black hole of gun control in the US
Would tighter gun laws help protect African Americans or make them more vulnerable to racism and police brutality?
United States, Racism, Gun control
My father, a Pakistani prisoner of war in India
A daughter's tribute to the father who never recovered from his war wounds.
Magazine, Health, Longform
Occupying Alcatraz: The spark that lit the US Red Power movement
Fifty years ago a group of activists set sail to reclaim Alcatraz Island, ushering in a new era of indigenous activism.
Native Americans, Indigenous rights, United States
Interactive: How does your country vote at the UN?
We visualised 1.2 million votes at the UN since 1946. What do you think are the biggest issues facing the world today?
Interactive, United Nations, Human Rights
LATEST NEWS
{Caption}
After months of protests, Hong Kong poll draws record turnout
Local elections seen as a test for the pro-Beijing government after nearly half a year of demonstrations.
Hong Kong protests, Hong Kong, Asia Pacific, China
{Caption}
Iran vows to punish 'mercenaries' behind deadly demonstrations
Iran's leadership has blamed 'thugs' linked to the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia for stirring up unrest.
Iran, Middle East, United States
TRENDING
Khashoggi messages show distrust of 'Beast Pac-Man' MBS
US, China declare trade war ceasefire
CNN: Facts first, just not on Israel
Poroshenko for 'Normandy format' talks with Russia
Pablo Escobar's legacy 25 years on: Tributes and disgust
US Navy's Middle East chief found dead in Bahrain
Macron tells PM to hold talks with protesters
G20 Summit 2018: All the latest updates
Moon: Trump says likes North Korea's Kim, will fulfill his wishes
'World is at a crossroads. Act now or risk disaster'
© 2019 Al Jazeera Media Network