but the conversation around slumdog millionaire has been so interesting thus far. would like to forward you to obla yoo's blog who is of a differing opinion than mine. I love a good debate, especially amongst friends.
as i was responding to the various comments, i remembered Uzodinma Iweala's Washington Post article entitled, "Stop Trying to 'Save' Africa" (which is funny because I totally forgot that he wrote Beasts of No Nation, which on ther surface, would seem like a "Save Africa" book....will read it eventually I see if this is true or not). His article was in part response to the flagrantly annoying "I AM AFRICAN" campaign, which to this day, still makes my skin crawl....ergghhh (see this for an interesting pic responding back to this nonsense)
Personally, as much as I enjoy films about countries other than the US, I sometimes feel that amongst some Westerners, such films are so one-sided that it gives them the idea that all Indians are like this or that all Africans (regardless of nationality) wear various colours on faces for no apparent reason, on the regular.
This is Africa, folks, this is AFRRRRRICAAA (shouts Nneoma, raising her face to the sky which hangs peacefully over the Serengheti, as scantily-clad tribal natives sing the songs of the ancients in concert with the rhythmic bleating of wild chimpanzees....oh and by the way, this, this and this goes to prove that it is indeed Westerners who live one on one with the chimpanzees, not us...lol)
My apologies for bringing up an older topic and making matters worse by referencing an article from two years ago....will bring fresh content soon...i think.
4 comments:
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I am simply dying over here after seeing that "I am Gwyneth Paltrow" pic.
haaaaaaaa.
I really needed that. I have chosen to have a happy day and not deal with wahala, especially after my mini rant at Sugabelly's. Anyway, I will pas son making any comment n this post. Sorry. But I always love reading your posts. Always thought provoking, sha.
Hope all is well.
NIGERIAN CURIOSITY
IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER WHEN I ONLY HAD ONE...
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I was reading the links about chimps as pets. Is it just me or is this disturbing to other people? chimps are cute? for real?
anyways, that's not the point.
It seems the crux of the matter is the one-sidedness of the movie, that shows grinding poverty and not much else. I get how that's annoying and unfair. But I wonder if the response will be different if we made movies about the poverty and inequality in our own backyards? What ever reasons we point out as being the cause of all the things gone bad, are we willing to be honest about our issues and tackle them ourselves, or do we need foreigners to remind us that we have some serious issues?
Anyways pyoo wata, I thought I saw you with bright red and yellow stripes painted on your face and arms yesterday. Remember, when you had the wrapper around your torso over jeans, with the kente head wrap? Why are you trying to act like you dont randomly and regularly walk around looking like the African Princess that you are?
(that was a joke in case anyone was wondering.......)
LMAO...nice, nice. You're not beating a dead horse dear. But mehn, that Uzodinma's article was *ahem* hot...lol. 'Perky blonde student shouting save Africa'. What rot! That's exactly what pisses me off too aside from the economic repercussions that we're still paying for and trying to dig out of which are even more serious but that's another topic anyway.
Like I mentioned on Obla yoo's blog, it's guilty conscience and exoticism that are their primary motivations jare. And let's not forget the insatiable desire to constantly write history as them being the victors and colonialists and like Uzodinma said 'affirming their cultural superiority'. Let no one claim otherwise please!!
I don't have a problem with the Western world helping or publicizing how dire the situation is but please do it properly and honor Africans who are also working to be a part of the solution. Stop trying to make the whole campaign 'sexy' and tag it as development buzz or some other rubbish term.
By the way, was the I Am African campaign tied into the July 2007 Vanity Fair Africa themed issue? It must have been for publicity but amazingly I missed those ads. I bought the magazine for keeps even though I'm yet to read it...lol. As for the I Am African pic on your blog, I have to say they all look pretty nice. Seal and Heidi look cute as does Elijah Wood and that means it must be good cos anytime I look at Elijah Wood ever since Lord of The Rings I just can't get the Frodo Baggins image outa my mind...lol. But distractions aside, the message is still messed up. And what is that contraption on Alicia Keys's head?? Is that supposed to be a crown? Talk about insult. Love the reply image. I laughed my head off at that.
p.s. I should read that Beasts of No Nation sometime too.