Let's Talk magazine June 2021

let’s talk RACISM Manizha’s Manifesto

Alice Dufour, from Berlin to Rabat

“We’re all racists” How Jacob Holdt took on his own prejudice

The beginning of a dream

Clementine Burnley’s strategy about holding conversations about racism and not dying in the attempt

About racism in past and present cinema Ethnic conflicts between Arabs and Amazigh in Morocco

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EDITORIAL T

he words are light-as-air. We feel good when admitting positive qualities, such as tolerance or an open-minded mentality. However, only when holding a deep conversation is the moment we realize if that dialogue is truly enriching or just a pretension of a fake progressivist mindset. Indeed, racism is one of these delicate topics that some people are afraid to address, because of the risk of misunderstandings, social rejection or, even, due to a xenophobic way of thinking, which is sometimes more carefully hidden than others. Also, as the feminist writer & sex/love coach, Suzannah Weiss, said “white privilege is like the aire we breathe: we don’t really know it’s around us unless it’s unavailable”.

From the top of the stairs on the left to the bottom on the right, the team of Journalists Breaking Mirrors (JBM) at Windesheim UAS: Jorge Téllez Rincón (Spain), Aya Bhilat (Morocco), Anja Lunding Hansen

It is so common hearing sentences like “Of course, I am not racist BUT...” In fact, that “BUT” is the prelude for presenting a racist thought. Without knowing the whole sentence, it isn’t possible to know clearly what level of racism is going to be exposed, but we can ensure that there are different levels of racism.

Racism is more complex than just being aggressive or not with someone different from us. It is about the whole story of humanity, when some civilizations were trying to impose their superiority by carrying a wide range of creative arguments, such as a divine origin, religious matters or any kind of symbolic meanings. In the end, every argument that is the same as our biological characteristics is proof that our genes are almost the same.

(Denmark), Paula Arana Rodríguez (Spain), Elisabeth Fateeva (Russia), Elisa Andueza Dosal (Spain) and Loubna El Ismaili El Alaoui (Morocco).

The newsplatform Journalists Breaking Mirrors (JBM)’s logo created by the exchange students. See at journalistiekwindesheim.nl/jbm/

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Admitting that we are enjoying more privileges than others it could be difficult, too. On the other hand, unconsciously, we sometimes pay more attention to one person to another because of the influence of a postcolonial education system. Microracism also exists and it can be so harmful, too. In Let’s Talk magazine, JBM will hold that difficult conversation with the readers to accept something as natural as the invisible legacy of which presence cannot be denied. By the following articles, interviews, reports and testimonials, it will be shown how the conversation about racism is going around the world, from Morocco to the Netherlands, talking about cinema, art and music, as well as deeping in the roots of the meaning of racism itself.

Nevertheless, Let’s Talk magazine would not just write real-based stories about related topics. JBM portrays the whole context of what is happening, the good and the bad sides of any situation, but always encourages the readers to reflect about solutions in a future-oriented perspective. The key is not pointing the finger at who is being more racist than the other. Fighting racism is relearning how to observe your environment, being critical about what is going on, but also accepting our own mistakes. It is true that we mustn’t postpone this common effort, but constancy requires patience to win the fight against racism.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

Xenophobic questions

6

We are all racists

10

A Lot Back to Dutch Role in Slavery

12

Art cancellation

15

About racism in past and present cinema 42

19

19

Reportage: The begginig of a dream

27

Alice Dufour, from Berlin to Rabat

30

Manizha’s Manifesto

32

Suffering in silence

34

Clementine Burnley’s strategy 6

36

15

People in the heart of racism

38

Un Unexpected Experience of Racism Abroad Ethnic conflicts between Arabs and Amazigh in Morocco

42

An unexpected experience of racism abroad

43

I have Faced Racism Before 12

30

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Q&A

XENOPHOBIC QUESTIONS May 25 was exactly one year since the death of George Floyd. The Black Lives Matter protests and debates about racism continue until today. However, many people still see this problem as something unobvious and believe, that it is normal for represantatives of different nations to have different rights. We collected the 7 most popular xenophobic questions and explained, what is wrong with them.

ELISABETH FATEEVA

1.

WHY DO MIGRANTS COME TO MY COUNTRY?

In the age of globalization, migration within one country and abroad is an absolutely normal process. According to the UN, by 2021, the number of people who emigrated to other countries from their native country reached about 272 million people. And while some people change their place of living voluntarily, others are forced to do it because of difficult circumstances in their home country. At the same time, we should consider that we can’t trace either person’s history or his family’s history only by his nationality. An unusual name does not tell us anything about where a person was born and lives. Often, those mistaken for “strangers” can actually have the country’s citizenship, especially the multinational one.

2.

WHY DO MIGRANTS COMING TO MY COUNTRY THINK THEY HAVE THE SAME RIGHTS AS I DO?

source: yesmagazine.org

They really do. Besides the separate country’s law, there is also an International human rights law that regulates human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. This means that no matter where you go you will always have the basic rights.

They are listed in The Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well. Thanks to it, everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person, no one should be held in slavery or in servitude, everyone can freely move and choose their place of residence within each state. We were all born equal and we all have equal rights regardless of immigrant status.

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3.

source: writerpainter.com

ISN’T OUR LIFE WORSE BECAUSE OF THEM?

The idea that the situation in the country is related to the fact that too many “strangers” have arrived goes back to nativism.

This is the name of a political position that implies support and privileges for the country’s indigenous people as opposed to emigrants. Most often, it is customary to criticize those who allegedly take jobs that could go to representatives of the titular nation. However, statistics show that often foreigners who come to work are deliberately disposed towards low-skilled work – one that does not always seem attractive to the residents of the country themselves. Migrants do not interfere with native people but relieve them of unpopular work.

Q&A

4.

WHY DO CHILDREN OF MIGRANTS OCCUPY ALL THE PLACES IN SCHOOLS IF THEY DON’T EVEN SPEAK MY NATIONAL LANGUAGE?

This is a stereotype. At least in Russia, there is a huge problem with the education for foreign children. 14.9% of foreign parents have children who do not go to school, often because of problems with documents. Experts estimate the number of “non-Slavic” children in classes on average at 10-16% – which does not exactly correspond to the idea that schools are “packed” with foreigners.

5.

IS WHITE PRIORITY REALLY A PROBLEM?

6.

WHY CAN A COMPLIMENT ABOUT A BEAUTIFUL SKIN COLOR BE PERCEIVED AS AN INSULT?

Yes, from “natural-colored” patches, which only match white skin tones, to lower incarceration statistics, white privilege shows itself in many variations. In the proposed logic, the success of whites and the failure of non-whites is the result of centuries of systemic racism. Often non-white people can’t get a good education, job, housing. In Russia, for example, people of national minorities can barely find the place to live, as many ads of apartments renting always have the postscript “Only to the Slavs”.

“Beautiful skin color”, “interesting appearance”, “unusual eye shape” – all these phrases that were intended as a compliment can sound completely different for the owner of this “atypical” appearance. Often in the discussion of “exotic” appearance, even a complimentary one, we can see hidden objectification.

When people with an “unusual” appearance go, for instance, on a date, it can be hard for them to understand if the partner really likes them or is just interested in the “exotic”. In addition, features that some people may like, such as an eye shape or curly hair, for others can become a pretext for bullying.

source: pinterest.com

7.

AREN’T WE LOSING OUR NATIONAL IDENTITY BECAUSE OF MIGRANTS?

To lose national identity, native people should probably leave the country altogether and never come back. The number of immigrants is always lower than the number of native people.

Of course, we do not reject the fact that immigration affects national identity. The level of influence depends on many factors, such as the duration of immigration, the readiness of immigrants to integrate into the cultural and linguistic space of the receiving state, to adopt its values. In addition, full integration of migrants cannot be achieved without the desire of migrants to become local natives and to squeeze their national traditions in favor of their own.

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REPORTAGE

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PHOTO: VICE.COM/NL

INTERVIEW

‘We’re all racists’ Jacob Holdt took on his own prejudices

More than thirty years ago, Jacob Holdt, a Danish photographer and hitchhiker, started a battle against the racism and poverty he experienced in the lower parts of the US society. By doing so he was confronted with his own racism. Today he is more concerned with the rise of hatred and hostility towards immigrants and Muslims in Europe. The average European is more racist than the Ku Klux Klan he argues.

ANJA LUNDING

J

acob Holdt stood in a forest far out the countryside of the American southern state Alabama. In the forest, there was a cross five meters tall. Around it were a dozen people gathered all dressed in white capes with torches in their hands. They took a step forward and pointed the torches to the cross that instantly burst into flames. They took a step back and yelled in choirs: “White power!”

siders the Ku Klux Klan members as victims. Victims of their upbringing, their lives, and the condemnation of their surroundings.

Under the white capes were members of the Ku Klux Klan hiding. An extreme American organization with a history of murders, violence and hatred towards black Americans which nowadays stand as a symbol of pure racism and evil.

CONFRONTING YOUR PREJUDICES

“IT’S NOT THE KU KLUX KLAN WHO HAVE PUSHED THE BLACK AMERI-

“They were children who experienced a great deal of pain,” Jacob Holdt says about the clan members, many of which are people he considers his friends.”

“Their racism is all talk, no action. The ones who yell the loudest are often the ones who have the least power and the most grief and pain. It’s not the Ku Klux Klan who have pushed the black Americans into the ghettos to poverty and crime,” he says and continues.

But that’s not how Jacob Holdt sees it, not even after having watched several of the cross burnings himself. Instead, he con-

“No, the real racism stems from people like us. People who say all the right things but who move to a new neighborhood and relocate our kids to different schools when there’s more than 20 per cent of immigrants in the classroom. We all have prejudices, and the Ku Klux Klan certainly does, too. But racism is

For five years Jacob Holdt hitchhiked the US and thereby depended

One of Holdts first encounters was with a family who were mem-

on the people he met along the way.

bers of the Ku Klux Klan. Here seen sharing dinner together.

CANS INTO THE GHETTOS”

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INTERVIEW defined as prejudices plus social power. The Ku Klux Klan has zero power - we do.”

It’s now more than 35 years ago Jacob Holdt was picked up by a car in New York and from there started a five-year travel which consisted of more than 150.000 kilometers of hitchhiking across the US. With no money and only armed with his curiosity and a small camera, Jacob Holdt sought into the lives of the poorest parts of society and documented these in his book “American Pictures” which contains selected photos of the 15.000 photographs he took during his travels.

When you hear Jacob Holdt talk about his travels among the poor, expelled and hated parts of the society of the United States, you’re amazed by his ability and willingness to seek the best in people over and over again. Even if it involves people who have practiced violence against him.

When he was assaulted and robbed, he urged to find his attacker to look for reconciliation and confidentiality meaning that they till this day consider each other as friends.

When he was raped by a black American man, he immediately sought the American gay community to participate in their battle for equality.

Cross burning initiated by the Ku Klux Klan. Some of these Holdt

And when one of his friends from the racist Ku Klux Klan-movement was jailed, Jacob Holdt offered to run the organization’s website. But why?

witnessed himself.

“WE REMOVE OUR KIDS FROM SCHOOLS WITH MANY IMMI-

GRANTS, WE DON’T SEEK IM-

MIGRANTS AND WE GATHER IN

NEIGHBORHOODS WITH NO OR OR FEW IMMIGRANTS”

“When I first made it to the United States, I considered myself as being tolerant and open-minded. But quietly the white’s prejudices and fears towards black people snuck up on me. I became scared and started to believe the stories saying blacks are more lazy, more likely to misuse alcohol and that they’re more violent. So, when I walked through a black neighborhood, I, with all my body language, showed that I didn’t have any faith in the people I met. I was never attacked as often as I was in that period,” says Jacob Holdt and explains how he actively started fighting his own prejudices.

THE DISCRETE RACISM His collection of photographs in “American Pictures” became a great success and more than 5000 lectures in Denmark, the Nordic countries, Europe and the US followed. But in recent years Jacob Holdt has shifted his focus to Europe instead of the JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 8

Portrait of a bent-over old woman who tries to keep her wooden shack clean with a straw brom.

INTERVIEW US. Something has happened that doesn’t only resemble but, in many ways, exceed the levels of racism he experienced during the five years he spent in the US. “In Denmark and in many other European countries, not a day passes where you don’t hear about something Islamic that needs to be controlled, limited or forbidden. I have never considered headscarves to be a problem, but through the media I’m repeatedly being told that they are. After a while I started considering if there really were something to it, and therefore, I started believing that it would be better to stay precautious and to start preventing them. I don’t like to feel that way, and in order to deal with it I knew that I would have to seek my fear when it started to dominate me,” he says.

“NOT A DAY PASSES WHERE YOU

DON’T HEAR ABOUT SOMETHING

ISLAMIC THAT NEEDS TO BE CONTROLLED, LIMITED OR FORBIDDEN”

“We consume the racism from politician’s demonization of certain groups of the society and from the stories we’re being told by the media on how immigrants and Muslims are the reasons behind all sorts of problems,” says Jacob Holdt and explains how the debate subconsciously engraves in our minds, even when we consciously dissociate from any other kind of discrimination.

“When we start to believe in the demonization, we start creating distances between them and us. We remove our kids from schools with many immigrants, we don’t seek immigrants and we gather in neighborhoods with no or few immigrants and Muslims. We don’t do it because we mean any harm, but because of prejudices. And that’s when we start to raise more children who are going to suffer, who are going to react with hatred and violence,” says Jacob Holdt, and adds that he doesn’t criticize anyone for anything he doesn’t recognize from himself.

CHALLENGING YOUR FEARS Jacob Holdt knows his criticism of the Europeans makes him seem judgmental. That’s also why he points to the fact that racists tendencies are something we all carry within ourselves.

But he believes it’s something we can learn to avoid - that we can become “consciously anti-racist racists.”

“In Denmark, it’s the Muslims who feel the hatred. I have been hateful towards them myself because I was isolated from Muslims and therefore got all my ideas and knowledge about them from the media. I could feel that I was becoming more and more aggressive and racist. It was a sick obsession over a group of people because of their religion,” he says.

But nearly five years ago, something happened that made Jacob realize that he had to do something. A violent occurrence which could confirm all his prejudices on young immigrants, but instead became an eye-opener for Jacob.

“My son who at that time was 16 years old was attacked by a Pakistani immigrant gang at Nørrebro. It was brutal with guns and stuff like that which would never have happened during my youth in Denmark. But the attack was because of the same things I recognized from the black Americans. That’s when I realized I had to do the same as I did back then, so we, my family and I, decided to meet the immigrants and Muslims,” Jacob Holdt says.

That’s the story of why he decided to join several Muslim organizations - to meet the people who often are being portrayed as either a problem or a threat in the media.

“I HAVE BEEN HATEFUL TOWARDS THEM MYSELF BECAUSE I WAS ISOLATED FROM MUSLIMS”

“Because of my negative thoughts on Muslims I expected them to be hostile and rejecting, but they were very welcoming.

That’s what happens when you open up to someone – they’ll do the same for you,” he says. Nearly ten years later, he has gained a lot of Muslim friends.

“When the Ramadan ended a few weeks ago, I had the apartment filled with Muslims who were praying in different rooms of my apartment. It was a lovely sight,” Holdt says, who himself is a child of two Protestant priests.

An old, black man who invited Holdt to spend the night.

“You have to remember that black Americans through more than 200 years have lived with the hatred of the whites. We can’t read them, but they know every movement of ours. We shape them with hatred and fear. We create a self-hatred within them which results in crime. And when young immigrants in Denmark become more and more brutal, it’s because they react to our hatred. Instead, we should show them our trust.”

All images are from ‘American Pictures’ by Jacob Holdt.

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REVIEW

A LOOK BACK TO DUTCH ROLE IN SLAVERY JORGE TELLEZ

The Rijksmuseum , the Dutch national museum has launched a hard-hitting exhibition called Slavery showing the role that slavery had in the Netherlands golden age periodu during more thn 250 years.

DWELL TOGETHER ON WHAT THE PAST MEANS FOR TODAY’S SOCIETY

As researcher Annemieke van der Vegt explains, slavery was forbidden in the Middle Ages, but it didn’t stop the Dutch from buying people from other parts of the world and bringing them to the Netherlands, where they worked as domestic servants. They were mostly young African boys, not older than 6 years when they arruved to Dutch soil.

This exhibition, which is only physically opened for school trips until furher news, uses a novel technique to explain what happened during those years: through 10 personal stories. These personal stories speak both of slaves and of the people who subjected them, and use dozens of objects donated by other museums to illustrate the stories told in the exhibition. As Valike Smeulders, head of history at Rijksmuseum, has explained, the objective of using personal stories is trying to reach the most possible audience, as it is easier to make connections from personal experiences.

Collection of items for slaves

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REVIEW

Paulus’ necklace As a small sample of what we can find in the museum, the website shows part of one of the stories, specifically the one called Paulus. Paulus is the name given to a young African boy who was taken to the Netherlands back in slavery times. His name first appears in a necklace (picture above) that at first, when it arrived to the Rijksmuseum in 1881, was considered a dog collar. HPwever, it would appear that the collar may have been worn by a Black servant in a Dutch household, in the household of Maurits.

Taking a look at different paintings, we can see how this kind of servants were all wearing a similar necklace, as a sign that they were slaves brought from other parts of the world. Some other paintings reflect how they were treated by upper class people, who basically took them as a diversion, a form of entertainment at first, until they grew old enough to be slaves.

This exhibition, which comes ar an opportune moment after the events stemming from the Black Lives Matter Movement, also sets a debate about thte Netherlands, since it’s a country which never formally apologized fot its role as some other countries did. That’s why the museum conservatives want to bring the subject of slavery to public debate in a country that is still facing its role in colonialism.

The exhibition will be set until late August, time enough for people, as the director of the museum said, to dwell together on what the past means for today’s society.

‘UNDERSTANDING COLONIAL SLAVERY BETTER WILL GIVE US BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE OUR SOCIETY COMES FROM AND HOW WE SHAPE OUR FUTURE’

Eveline Sint Nicolaas, principal curator of the Rijksmuseum JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 11

OPINION

ART CANCELLATION SHOULD WE ACCEPT ARTISTS FROM THE PAST DISREGARDING THEIR PERSONAL LIVES? Nowadays, it is far easier to get informed about the personal lives of the current celebrities thanks to social media. However, when thinking about the private side of historical characters, it seems that these formal portraits of serene gaze and rigid stance do not have anything to hide from spectators. On the contrary, there are several examples of controversial behaviours behind the geniuses’ masks.

ELISA ANDUEZA DOSAL

D

uring the 2020 Spring lockdown, the art historian Sara Rubayo started a six-month online course reviewing the history of art from Prehistory until today. At the beginning of time, it was so difficult to know more about the artists’ personal lives due to the lack of documentary resources. However, there is a time in which it is possible to even know about their sexual orientation. That is why the Spanish art historian asked the following question to her students in one of her private classes at live Insta Stories, “Should talented artists be cancelled due to their personal lives?” Rubayo explained that this is a controversial issue that has been gaining even more and more importance in the recent years, partly reinforced thanks to social movements, such as #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatters.

“WHERE IS THE LIMIT FOR

TOLERATING HIS PERSONAL LIFE WHEN IT COMES TO ALSO

ACCEPTING HIS MASTERPIECES?” SARA RUBAYO (ART HISTORIAN) She gave some examples to make her students reflect. For instance, the painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is characterised by the tenebrism of his paintings and widely known around the world for his ability to combine profane and holy topics in a dramatic setting. “He was the bad boy of the Italian Baroque”, pointed out Sara. “His models were prostitutes and homeless people who pose for even religious paintings. But the most interesting thing (beyond the art) is his police record.” César Cervera, a journalist from ABC newspaper, gave a list of several actions. “He was arrested for carrying a sword without permission on 5th May 1598. Sued for hitting a man with a cane in 1600. Accused of assaulting and robbing another man with a sword the following year. Involved in assaulting a waiter after having brought him a plate of artichokes in a tavern in 1604. Arrested for throwing stones at the police the the same year. There are many other examples, but the most serious one was on 28th May 1606, when Caravaggio was sentenced to death for killing and mutilating a man during a fight in the area of Campo Marzio (Rome)”. Therefore, after having known all about his past, should we still continue admiring his artistic career? Where is the limit for tolerating his personal life when it comes to also accepting his masterpieces?

All the students at the course remained silent for some seconds before giving our opinions.

A screenshoot of the interview with Sara Rubayo talking about Caravaggio, published in the Spanish news platform, infoLibre.

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OPINION Saint Jerome writing (c. 1605-1606), an oil on canvas painted by Caravaggio. It is displayed at Galleria Borghese (Rome).

Medusa (1597), an oil on canvas mounted on wood, painted by Caravaggio. It is displayed at Uffizi Museum (Florence).

Calling of Saint Mathew (1601), an oil on canvas painted by Caravaggio. It is displayed at Church of Saint Louis of the French (Rome)

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OPINION When we came to the Avant-garde art, the same debate was raised again but turned even more complicated when analysing the case of the French painter Paul Gauguin. He was one of the most important artists of Post-Impressionism. According to Oxford Art Online, this style enhances the spontaneous and naturalistic rendering of light and colour, which are independent from formal aspects. They believe in the artificiality of the picture, emphasising structure “as an emotional and aesthetic bearer of meaning”. Alejo Schapire, a journalist from Radio Francia International (RFI), commented that Gauguin spent most of the last twelve years of his life in the Polynesian island of Hiva Oa, “having sex with teenage girls, having children with them and, of course, painting some of his most famous paintings”. He also called the Polynesians he painted “savages”.

Woman holding a fruit (1893), an oil on canvas painted by Paul Gauguin. It is displayed at the State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Tahitian: Nave nave moe (Sacred Spring, Sweet Dreams) (1894), an oil on canvas painted by Paul Gauguin. It is displayed at the State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)

LET ART SURPRISE US, AGREEING AND

DISAGREEING WITH IT Schapire also referred to the NY Times culture specialist, Farah Nayeri, and her article Is It Time Gauguin Got Cancelled.

She said that in times when there is a high public sensitivity about gender, race and colonialism issues, museums are being forced to re-evaluate some artists’ legacy. The curators of the Gauguin Portraits exhibition, which took place at London National Gallery between October 2019 and January 2020, had to change the titles of some art pieces so as not to be offensive.

They also tried to add new information explaining the context of Gauguin’s times, the end of the XIX century. In regards to this, Sara Rubayo explained that they were trying to separate the art from the author and some of the ideas with which he was raised.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 14 14

However, the debate is here to stay as xenophobia and paedophilia will always be present in the artist’s biography. Rubayo supports the idea of establishing a separation when the artist has lived in a different time. “Obviously, it would be unbearable if Gauguin were still alive nowadays, but just because our values are far different from the XIX century”. She believes that knowing the social context of the art is essential to understand it properly. Otherwise, the spectator could be losing a lot of information as we should not observe every kind of art from the current Western way of thinking, as the original purpose and the core meaning of the art piece would be lost. Although, it is true that there are some values that should not be promoted, so this is, indeed, the reason for working on an even more detailed explanation to avoid misunderstandings. People also attend exhibitions and museums to learn. Modifying information would not change past human history and people would only walk out of exhibits with some notion of art techniques and a naive version of history. On the contrary, giving a full version of events promotes critical thinking about what we are watching as being a good painter does not necessarily make you a good person. People are more complex than that. It is important to make spectators think about what social aspects have changed over time, regarding different aspects such as country, religion and political situation. We should not make a white and black portrait to understand art, because it has as many different colour shades as people themselves. Let art surprise us, agreeing and disagreeing with it.

OPINION

RACISM IN THE PAST AND PRESENT CINEMA. REFLECTION OR EXTOLLING? We consider racism a historical courge that accompanies us to this day.

Multiple events throughout history give good faith to this, in different parts of the world and at different levels. Whether we like it or not, it has played a relevant role in the development of the world we live from tip to tip of the globe. And as with so many other social aspects, art is a reflection of it. And of course cinema, the seventh of them, is no exception.

Cinema was born in the last years of the 19th century, or what is the same, the prelude to one of the most turbulent periods in our recent history. It has overcome world wars, civil wars and even nuclear threats. Especially in the first case, the fear that generated the possible influence that cinema could have in the public put the whole industry in check. Starting with the First World War, the leaders of the major nations became aware of the propaganda power that the films had, so they tried to enhanced the possible ad-

vantages that this gave them. Or what is the same, duting times of conflict, a great effort was made to promote films that were in line with the prevailing ideology or way of thnking, and the direct prohibition of those films that expressed the opposite.

In this context, some of the most renowned films in the history of cinema were shot and published. Among them, The Birth of a Nation, and Gone with the Wind, two films that share a controversial vision of society and its values, and even today they carry some controversy around them. Especially the last one, since last year, the streaming platform HBO banned it because the protests produced un the United States over racial injustice, Some time later, the film was restored in the platform with a disclaimer explaining that the film “denies the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacies of racial inequuality

IN GERMANY, FOR A LONG TIME IT HAS BEEN THOUGHT THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DECIDE THE OUTCOME OF THIS WAR WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE SWORD AND THE

PU-

RITY OF IDEALS, BUT IT IS EVIDENT THE NEED TO INCLUDE THE FILMS IN THE ARSENAL OF WAR

Vossische zeitung(1917) JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 15 15

OPINION Gone with the Wind (1939) is a film set in the south of the United States in the middle of the War of Secession. It is still one of the most awarded films in history (10 Oscars), but it is also one of the most controversial ones because of the treatment the film gives to the racial problem existing in the US. The film moves in the fine line between the representation of the reality of those years and, as many opinions claim, the “praise” of slavery, which is both what, in part, raised this film at the time (actress Hattie McDanield was the first African-American actres to receive an Oscar), and what penalizes it to this day.

After the film was releashed, African-American society itself presented a division of opinion between those who believed it perpetuated the values of the War of Secession and slavery; and those who saw McDanields’ triumph as a sign of progress.

The debate keeps going nowadays, to the point of being temporarily removed from HBO due to its racists overtones. Back in the day, Hattie McDanield came to defend herself from criticism, stating that “I would rather earn seven hundred dollars to play a slave than earn seven dollars for being a slave”.

This quote also help us to understand better how things were by that time and, as a prove that what we saw in the film was not as far from reality as we would like. Truth is, the 1939 classic could have shaped popular understanding of the Civil War and Reconstruction more than any other cultural pro This quote also help us to understand better how things were by that time and, as a prove that what we saw in the film was not as far from reality as we would like. Truth is, the 1939 classic could have shaped popular understanding of the Civil War and Reconstruction more than any other cultural product. But that does not prevent the fact that is considered that it no longer represents the values of American society.

I WOULD RATHER EARN SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS TO PLAY A SLAVE, THAN EARN SEVEN DOLLARS FOR BEING A SLAVE HATTIE MCDANIELDS

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OPINION The Birth of a Nation (1915) is one of the most important movies ever, but it could also be considered one of the most racists ones, as the BBC writer Tom Brook considered in 2015.

In the same film in which Griffith invented the language of cinema, the american director created a film that placed the Ku Klux Klan as heroes of the film, and drew black characters as little more than wild animals. Furthermore, at the beginning of the film a message from the US president Woodrow Wilson was shown in the screen, praising the Ku Klux Klan “as the protector of the South” “The film, which tells the story of two friendly families representing the North and South of the US during the Civil War, shows black people as violent and rebellious (...) Drunks, rapists, thieves...that’s how Griffith saw the African-American population.”

(Javier Zurro, journalist specialized in cinema) Back in 1915 when the film was released was already involved in a big controversy. Black rights association protested, and the answer was that violent acts against black population increased. A few years ago, in 2016, an american director called Nate Parker released a “remake” of the film in which he tells the real story of Nat Turner, slave, preacher - thanks to his unusual ability to read- and the leader of one of the first rebellions against slavery. The film swept through the Sandance Festival, the most important independent film festival. Its objective, as Parker explained, was to tell the story as it was, and from now on, when someone heard The Birth of a Nation, he would relate it to both Griffith’s masterpiece and the statement he has signed for the freedom of black people.

THE WHITE MEN WERE ROUSED

BY A MERE INSTINCT OF SELFPRESERVATION... UNTIL AT LEAST THERE HAD SPRUNG INTO EXISTENCE A GREAT KU KLUX KLAN, A VERITABLE EMPIRE OF THE SOUTH, TO PROTECT THE SOUTHERN COUNTRY

US PRESIDENT WILSON QUOTE AT THE BEGINING OF THE FILM

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OPINION However, this has not been the only film that has been removed or modified in some way to remain present on the online platforms we use today. Disney has been another company that has intervened some movies (removing directly some) to highlight its position totally opposed to racism or other social problems. It is the case of:

Dumbo (1941)

Jungle Book (1967)

Peter Pan (1953)

This is probably the most obvious case of a Disney film with racist overtones. In addition to some scenes of humiliation of African-American slaves, the leader of the flock of crows is called Jim Crow, which is the name given to state and local laws aimed at reinforcing racial segregation that would not be repealed until 1964.

The ban of this film is strictly related to the fact that the character King Louie is an orangutan who sings ‘Dixieland’, an aspect that does not appear in the original Rudyard Kipling novel. Dixieland was adopted as the national anthem of the Confederate States of America.New versions appeared at that time that linked the song more explicitly to the events of the Civil war.

Peter Pan and the lost children dance in this film with feathers, paintings and Indian headdresses, which Disney considers today “a form of mockery and appropriation of the culture and images of native people. They also regret that the narrative refers to the native as ‘redskins’ considered now a racist insult.

Now, agreeing that some of the values represented in these films were not right at the time, and they are not right now, and given the influence that cinema has on society, and vice versa, that is, how cinema is a reflection of society, the question comes by itself. Is banning, trying to erase these films the best way to fight racism? Is it better to give the back to what we were and what we did in the past, or is it better to keep it in mind and learn from it? How important is it to know where we come from to know where do we wanna go?

Racism fight was never an easy fight to win, and probably never will be. It will still take years to get rid of it from our daily lives, and it will take our willing to do it and report whatever we do not consider just. But i consider it a fair debate to ask ourselves which roles do we want some disciplines like art to play, and how are we going to set a difference between reflection and extolling.

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The Aristocats (1970)

Song of the South (1946)

The controversy with this film comes from the fact that a Siamese cat named Shun Gon is drawn “as a racist caricature of an Asian person”. “It has exaggerated and stereotyped features such as torn eyes and large teeth. He sings with a very poor English accent -played by a white actor- and plays the piano with chopstick.

A film that Disney has decided to remove from its catalog. The movie, which is a mix of animation and real images, shows how proud are the black slaves to be so, and how they consider the plantations they work in little less than heaven for them. Cultural historian Jason Sperb described it as “one of Hollywood’s most resiliently offensive racist texts”.

I DON’T THINK MY FILMS ARE GOING TO GET RID OF RACISM OR PREJUDICE I THINK THE BEST THING MY FILMS CAN DO IS PROVOKE DISCUSSION SPIKE LEE

FEATURE

THE BEGINNING OF A DREAM

Mural of George Floyd in the 34th and Chicago in Minneapolis (George Floyd’s square) PAULA ARANA

W

hile walking in the crowded 38th and Chicago street I remembered the I have a dream speech.

Sixty years after Martin Luther King gave his most famous speech, today I could say that is the beginning of his dream to be fulfilled. The words that gave hope to the afro americans in the 60s, which gave strength to still fighting in the 90s and for which it is worth still fighting for King’s dream. Today, 20th of April of 2021 these words are still as important as they were decades ago.

“Guilty, guilty, guilty” is all that can be heard. I’m at 38th and Chicago and my eyes can’t believe what they are seeing. The street is crowded and people are shouting, but why? “Guilty, guilty, guilty”. Banners, candles and flowers are all that can be seen. I looked at my phone and remembered. Today and after three weeks of trial it has been finally known the sentence for Derek Chaupin. People are

shouting of joy due to the sentence that declares the police officer responsible for the death of George Floyd.

Unfortunately, the words of M.L.King are still to be remembered. Sixty year of fighting and colored-people are still dying at the hands of white-police officers. This fight has never stopped but people who have fighted did not do it out loud, they did it in the shadows but something has changed.

Eleven months ago George Floyd was murdered in the street where I am right now. Eleven months ago Derek Chaupin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost ten minutes in broad daylight. Eleven months ago people stopped being quiet and began to make noise so the whole world could hear the fear, desperation but also the hope they have to fight for their rights. Not only did the Americans begin to make noise, but also black people from other countries began to start their own movement.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 19

FEATURE The death of George Floyd is not the first one and unfortunately will not be the last. However, it was the fuel people needed to rebel themselves from the police-violence against black-people. He has become the icon of the movement “Black Lives Matter’’. This was born eight years ago to report the murdered of Trayvon Martin a 17-years-old afro american.

You may have never heard about the movement before, but people have never stopped fighting.

During this whole year the street where the murdered was done has become the meeting point for the pacific protests against racism. The capital of the current movement. People have made the street into a sanctuary: George Floyd’s square.

Murals, barricades and sculptures form this saint place. Memorials, donations and “Say their names” cemetery are the new ways of protest against injustice. Although is called George Floyd’s square is not only for him, he is the public face but there are too many George Floyds who are unknown.

Protest in memory of George Floyd \\ 2020

Here I am, in the middle of the crowd, listening to the shouts of joy. However, these shouts are hiding hopelessness. Half a century has passed since the fight for civil rights began, since the biggest movement started, since Martin Luther King shared his dream with all american citizens. Sixty years has passed since King promised that one day “black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual”. Words that should never be forgotten and a hope that should remain forever, however half a century after the dream of M.L. King has not been fulfilled.

Biggest progress and difference It sounds like all the efforts have been in vain, useless. But no, there are things that have changed and for we have to be grateful. There has been Black progress in the US and it’s important to know in order to be able to still fight.

Almost sixty years have passed since the leader of civil rights, M.L. King led the march on Washington for jobs and freedom.

Despite afro americans are more likely to be less wealthy than white-people, in the last six decades their economic situation has improved. Today, the poverty rate is almost half of what it was in 1966.

In 2019 it was the year when most afro americans completed the four years of higher education. 26% in 2019 vs. 4% in 1962.

White people also have improved their situation but at half speed than black-ones.

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HOW MUCH HAS THE BLACK COMMUNITY PROGRESSED IN THESE SIXTY YEARS? THERE ARE MAINLY FOUR ASPECTS IN WHICH THE AFRO AMERICANS’ LIVES HAVE IMPROVED: POVERTY, HIGHER EDUCATION, UNEMPLOYMENT AND REPRESENTATION IN THE CONGRESS.

Poverty

High education

The percentage of poverty in the black community is 20,8%.

White americans have also improved their rate, but a half of speed than blacks.

In a protest on 2020 remembering

When all began

Martin L. King

It’s important to know how much black progress has done, but there are still too many things to be improved. There are still racism and discrimination in the salaries, in the equity difference, in the possibilities to get in the jail. These are rights for what have been fighting all of these decades.

1831

Since 1831 with Nat Turner’s rebellion which was a key for the fight against slavery in the United States from 2020 with the movement of Black Lives Matter, through Dred Scott’s case, the Civil War, segregationism, the fight for civil rights and the million man march. This is the longest fight the US have ever fought.

L.A’s unrest & Million Man March

Dred Scott’s case

1861

Separate but Equal

1941

Rosa Park’s boycott

1963

1857

Civil War

1896

II World War & the case of the Tuskegee Airmen

1955

March for Freedom

Nat Turner’s rebelion

The unemployment dropped in 2019 until 5.5%. It’s historic.

White unemployment has always been half of the afro americans.

Due to covid unemployment has risen and now afro americans unemployment rate is 3.5% higher than the rest of the population.

The congress of the US is the most multicultural in the history of the country. Since 1961 the number of black-people both in congress and senate has grown, exactly ten points. In the 60s only 0,7% was occupied by black. nowadays the 10,2% of the congressmen and senators are afro americans.

Unployment

Representation

2020

1990s Black Lives Matter’s movement

Due to covid the rate of unployment is 16,8%.

Nowadays the 10,2% of the congressmen and senators are afro americans.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 21 21

FEATURE

From the top to the bottom: A poster of “Say their names” in the santuary of George Floyd.

The two photos of the bottom are two of the large number of protest held in 2020

L

ittle by little, step by step, generation by generation things have changed. The majority of these acts may not be widely known. Before the 60s the fight between black and white was only a problem of the United States and even Americans didn’t take it into account. However, something happened in the 60s.

In the late 50s the segregationists turned intolerant. Millions of black people emigrated from the south to the north. It is said that between 1940 and 1970 4 million afro americans moved to the north. Those who stayed in the south, who were more vulnerable both physical and economically, achieved fighting for their rights. This south-fight was led by Martin L. King who wanted to protest in no-violence-way.

In these years, black people did their own actions like Rosa Parks, a black woman who denied her seat in the bus to a white-man. These small actions gained strength with the years, and finally joined together in the long march for freedom.

In 1963 was held the biggest concentration of people against racism and discrimination and who were in the march to achieve their civil rights and freedom. This walk was in Washington where more than 200.000 people were reunited and where Martin L. King shared his dream. One year later the civil rights law was approved by the congress, but it didn’t finnish with the racism and discrimination. It only made a tool to fight them. Here the dream of Martin Luther King began, but it has never been fulfilled.

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The leader of the march died in 1968, but not his dream.

Thirty years later a new march was held: The million Man March. It was the year 1995 in the National Mall in Washington D.C where Louis Farrakhan called to march a million of men, two years later the Million Woman March was also held. The purpose was to place black issues back on the political agenda as the community was facing a huge problems like: poverty rate of more than 40%; the incomes of a median family were 58% in comparison to a white family; the likelihood of being murdered was 72% versus the 9.3% of white people; and there were more afro americans in jail than in college.

These problems were the same that thirty years before and, unfortunately, the same of today. More percentage or less, but at the end there is always that difference that should have never existed.

FEATURE

The other side of the story I Racism, discrimination, police-violence not only do they exist in the US. There are many places in the world where black people suffer from it, and they are not the only ones. For example, in America, Latins also are discriminated; and nowadays with the pandemic asian people are the new target.

THE

The United States and Brazil have things in common although they are thousands kilometres away.

Racism, discrimination and the exclusion of afro-descendants of any national projects are commons realities for the both Americas. The new world as it was once called shares the same fight. However, one story is known, the other not.

In May of 2020, George Floyd was murdered in the state of Minnesota.

It is something everybody might know, what it is not known is that a week before and a thousand kilometres away João Pedro Matos Pinto, a 14-years-old black boy

But there exist one country which its situation is nearly three time worst in terms of racism, discrimination and police violence. Can you guess where it is?

Let ‘s try. This country is in America, almost 13% of its population is in poverty, black people are the 65% of the total and here you can dance Samba and enjoy its carnivals. Do you know what the country is now?

Yes, Brazil.

UNTOLD

was killed and found one day after by the family. Brazil, the country where racism and police-violence are the “perfect crime”.

“Black Lives matter here, too” is the shout of black brazilians. Afro Americans have had the possibilities to protest together against social inequality; Brazilians don’t.

It has been since a few years ago the drastic situation in the country mattered internationally.

The movement “Black Lives Matter” in the US gave hope to black brazilians, who have protested against racism and police violence.

STORY

In Rio de Janeiro protesters held candles while saying “Don’t kill me, kill racism”. This march took place a week after a police raid in a poor neighborhood left dozens dead.

You may know the situation in Brazil is similar to the US, but no.

Brazilian police kill six persons per day, it is three times worse than in The United States. Brazilian police do not differentiate between men, women or even children. Brazilian police do not respect the Black Consciousness Day as last year a man was killed on this day.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 23

FEATURE

THE BIGGEST SLAUGHTER ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER HERE, TOO’

A

eight-year-old girl, a fourteen-year-old boy, a tju-jisu teacher, a middle-aged woman, these are the names of some victims of the police. However, since the beginning of May 28 names more were added. In the first week of this month the police of Brazil did an operation in which they were supposed to look for suspects of trafficking with drugs, instead almost thirty people were dead.

The police operation was supposed to be against a drug gang which drafted under-18-years-old to sell their products. However, there is no evidence that the almost thirty people dead, including children, were part of the gang. The United Nations is asking for explanations and wants to investigate the police to see if there was police violence. However, officers neglect it and politicians show their support for the police.

A week after the police raid in a slum in the city, thousands of black Brazilians have protested against racism and police violence. They have their responsible for the 28th deaths and the police violence and it is the President Jair Bolsonaro, who denied that racism exists in Brazil and supports hardline policies.

“We’re marking the date of the false abolition of slavery, and the tragedy in Jacarezinho,” protester João de Oliveira told Reuters news agency. “President Bolsonaro and his vice-president even applauded the slaughter. He committed genocide. We’re here to protest.” (Source: BBC News).

“Black lives matter here, too”, a Brazilian flag full of red hands and tears is all that can be seen. All that black brazilians can do.

Poverty, less opportunities of education, of jobs together with the slaughter is the hell for colored people: the kingdom of racism.

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The 25th of May, a year since the death of George Floyd. It’s been a year since the movement started. It’s likely that you may think that the US and Brazil are far away from each other and what happens in one of them does not affect the other, but no.

We live in a globalized world, we’re connected to each other and what happens in one place might affect in another. On the anniversary of George Floyd’s death a movement on social media has been created in order to honor George Floyd and to continue the fight against police violence.

The movement of Black Lives Matter has given silver linings to brazilians. It has pointed out the problem of police violence in Brazil and now people around the world are trying to help them. Sixty years have passed since the day went down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom. It has taken six decades to really begin to fight. Sixty years for black-people and white-people to begin fighting together in order to avoid police violence. Sixty years and we have to remember the words of Martin L. King. Now, we have to still fight, all together. Now, it’s when it all starts again.

From top to bottom: Brazilian’s Flag full of red hands as a symbol against police violence. Black Brazilian in the protest after the operation of the police with 28 deaths || Source BBC News

The other side of the story II

The name of George Floyd give us hope. The hope of a country that listens to its citizens

Don’t kill me, kill racism Genocide, it was is happen in Brazil with the current government

Black lives matter here, too

Black people want to live We have no way out, not even on Black Consciousness day

The police should be protecting us

Black people are dying from gunshots, from hunger and now from Covid

The black population still doesn’t have rights

Please stop killing us In 2019, police in Brazil killed nearly six times as many people as in the US and most of them were black.

The fight for justice continues JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 25

REPORTAGE

TRIBUTE GEORGE FLOYD, 46 (05/2020) MARTIN LUTHER KING (1968) RODNEY KING AHMAUD ARBERY, 25 (02/2020) BREONNA TAYLOR, 26 (03/2020) ATATIANA JEFFERSON, 28 (2019) BOTHAM JEAN, 26 (2018) PHILANDO CASTILE, 32 (2016) WALTER SCOTT, 50 (2015) FREDDIE GRAY, 25 (2015) TAMIR RICE, 12 (2014) MICHAEL BROWN, 18 (2014) TRAYVON MARTIN, 17 (2012) LAQUAN MCDONALD, teeneager (2014) ADAM LORENZO, 13 (Latin, 03/2021) JOAO ALBERTO SILVEIRA FREITAS, 40 (2020) JOÃO PEDRO MATTOS PINTO, 14 (2020) ÁGATHA FÉLIZ, 8 (2019) JONAS DO CARMO DOS SANTOS, 32 (2021)

This are the names of black people who have been murdered by police. Unfortunately, these are not all. There are more.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 26

INTERVIEW

Dufour’s photo from her facebook account @Alice Dufour-Feronce

Alice Dufour, from Berlin to Rabat AYA BHILAT

A

lice dufour is a german photographer born in Berlin and currently living in Rabat. she moved from her native country to France after her graduation in 2005 in film and photographic studies. She stayed in France for more than a year and a half to learn more about the secrets of this job and worked back then as a assistant of a famous photographer based in fashion field.As any foreign person comimg grom a complete different backgroud she will probably have to deal with cultural, social and professional differences.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 27

INTERVIEW In France I have met figures from the moroccan theater and I stayed in touch with them, then they invited me to visit Morocco in order to discover their country and their artistic universe of theatre “ In 2009 she spent her first journey in Morocco, then after three years of traveling she started working with that community of artists, along with several companies. ” I was the main photographer on stage for many years,, this was a rich experience for me as I have met a lot of known artists in the cultural scene, I had the chance to work in a very creative atmosphere,Then as curious as I am I had the desire to stay longer because I was intrigued by the moroccan society and culture ” But her stay in Morocco was not quite positive, Alice admitted that she faced a lot of challenges, and these latter were as follows: “ To get my Moroccan residence permit, I had to have a certificate from a stable job but that was difficult for me because I chose the path of freelance work , but I have successfully got all my permissions” Other than that, she told me that during all those 11 years that she spent in Morocco, one of the main issues she struggled with is the absence of direct communication.

A picture taken in the circus

Street photography

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 28

INTERVIEW ‘In my culture I was raised to communicate and express myself directly with an other person, while in southern countries such as Morocco the situation is totally different and that was a huge challenge for me to cope with, expressing myself professionally in a foreign language and trying to find a middle ground in order to solve misunderstandings or problems that we may encounter”

‘For the moment I am satisfied, I like some -things that concern my country and others related to my second home which is Morocco and it is my responsibility to find the middle ground between both of them’ Staying forever in Morocco for her is a doubtfoul scenario, she is happy in Moroco but if she gets the opportunity to travel somewhere else like Paris she will not hesitate , Then finally, her

In the other hand, I asked her if she has ever encountered an act of racissm in Morocco, and here were the answers:

advice to any one willing to travel for work or studies is related to always stay curious and open to other cultures,

‘Racism is a general issue, it exist all over the world not only in Morocco, from my side i felt didcriminated more on the personal side than the profes-

‘We have to learn from other cultures, to respect,

ional one’

understand and appreciate the differences that help us to self reflect and to stay always up and consciousrocco, and last but not least I work as a professor in a group of schools’

One day, while she was ordering meat in her usual butcher shop in her old neighborhood, a man came to her , then started making fun of her broken Darija[ Moroccan dialect]. He told her also that she needs to speak more languages because moroccans are talented and can speak more than two different languages.

‘Fortunetly, the butcher defended me and told him that i’m not even french and I made the effort to learn it, along with other languages like English’ When she was asked about the differences she noticed between working in Europe or her homeland and Morocco, she said that it’s a bit difficult because it’s been eleven years now that she no longer works there but she stated : ‘In Germany, working in a creative way is limited, but in Morocco I can find the way to that creativity by myself, However, I still can’t compare between both countries as we know that each customer has his own cultural background that must be respected , that’s why our perspective has to be direct towards cooperation especially if we work with international organzations’ She also told me that she is happy after taking her decision tto stay in Morocco even if in each country there is advantages and disadvantages.

Children running in the Old Medina of Rabat

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 29

PROFILE

Manizha’s Manifesto

Manizha Sangin – professionally known as Manizha – is a Russian singer, who represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 and got 9th place. On March 8, the singer passed the national selection for the competition, winning the audience vote with the song “Russian Woman”. However, the results of the selection caused a flood of xenophobic comments towards the singer.

ELISABETH FATEEVA

M

anizha was born in Tajikistan. At the age of 3, Manizha and her family were forced to flee from Tajikistan to Russia due to the Tajikistani Civil War. Her mother literally carried her daughter in the arms out of the house, destroyed by a shell. Subsequently, they settled in Moscow. The little girl had to get used to a new life and learn Russian from scratch. Thus, the singer was raised and developed as a singer in Russia.

Even so, when Manizha won the national selection, in social networks users asked: “What, the Russians were not found?” and put dislikes on videos with Manizha’s song. Some dissatisfied people asked to replace the performer “before it’s too late”. Poet Karen Kavaleryan, who wrote songs for Dima Bilan, Ani Lorak and Dmitry Koldun for Eurovision, also called it a “strategic mistake” that Manizha will go to the competition with a song in Russian, not in English.

I would say that Manizha’s song “Russian woman” can be perceived

as her manifesto, as it was inspired by a contemporary feminist agenda. The lyrics are dedicated to the Russian woman and the accusations that she faces every day: you’re over 30, so where are the kids?

You are generally beautiful, but why don’t you lose weight? The singer also confessed that she dedicated this song to her grandmother, because exactly women were the driving force of her family. Her great-grandmother became the first woman in Tajikistan to take off her veil, her grandmother was the first person who noticed Manizha’s talent and insisted that her parents send her to music school.

Manizha’s mother Nadezhda worked multiple jobs to provide for her family, and later became a producer for her daughter.

Although the song is in Russian, it also contains two strings in English:

Every Russian woman needs to know: You’re strong enough to bounce against the wall!

Manizha’s photos from her Instagram @manizha

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 30

PROFILE

Manizha’s performance at Eurovision Song Contest, eurovision.tv

In the interview Manizha said that she wants to demonstrate Russia’s generosity and openness at Eurovision:

FOR ME, PARTICIPATING IN EUROVI-

SION IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO

TALK TO THE WORLD ABOUT WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME. I AM

Manizha also speaks out against domestic violence. According to the singer, she watched violence since childhood, and at the age of 15 she herself was harassed in public transport. In 2019, she launched the Silsila app, which aims to help victims of domestic violence. She also filmed a video for her song “Мама” (“Mother”), in which a teenage heroine tries to save her mother from her abusive husband.

AS I KNOW IT: GENEROUS, OPEN,

Manizha calls herself a feminist and opposes the ideals imposed by society. At one of her concerts, she even washed off her makeup right on stage in order to show that everyone is born unique. The artist has repeatedly raised the topic of women’s rights during her trips to the Caucasus. She often takes part in social projects aimed at developing tolerance, as well as spreading feminism and body positivity. She announced that she refuses to use retouch or Photoshop on her photos.

Fortunately, Manizha didn’t seem to take all bad words close to heart. In response to multiple insults and questions “Who is she at all?”, Manizha shot a sarcastic video and uploaded it on YouTube.

It starts with a listing of the terrible events of the last year, like the financial crisis, coronavirus epidemic, Australian fires, etc., and “it seemed that the worst is over, but then Manizha appeared…”.

In a short film a whole team conducts an investigation, trying to find out who – or even what – Manizha is. The professor, who сarried out the experiment, concluded: “Manizha is more than not Russian, she’s not even a human!”.

Narek, a 22-year-old fan of Manizha, shared, that he had been listening to her since 2018. “I find her songs really unique and calming,” – he confessed. – “I really liked the song “Russian woman”. It is one of the most unique applications ever! And I like the fact that the song is in Russian”. Narek mostly appreciates it when Eurovision is primarily connected with the interchange of culture and traditions. He also likes everything Manizha does apart from music: “First of all, she is still a person, and then an artist, so these projects and contributions are very important for the general perception of her work. I am very glad that she not only sings but also endlessly helps those who need help”.

Besides music, Manizha is engaged in different social activities: she is an ambassador for the “Gift of Life” fund and in December 2020 she received the UN post of Commissioner for Refugees (she is the first Russian in this position). She is also actively involved in charity work, helping those in need.

Though Manizha did not win the Eurovision Song Contest, having received 204 points, we are still proud of such an extraordinary singer. Her main goal was to share the message that Russian woman is strong and she no longer wants to be suppressed by society. And it seems to me that she managed to cope with this task.

TAJIK, BUT RUSSIA ACCEPTED AND

RAISED ME. I WOULD LIKE THE

WORLD TO SEE OUR COUNTRY BRIGHT, UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 31

SUFFERING IN SILENCE: SEXUAL AND MORAL HARASSMENT WITHIN A COUPLE

Being in a relationship with the opposite sex for a few days or years does not necessarily imply that one is obliged to make love with their partners or has to be sexually violated.

32

Q

uite a lot of people have been sexually as-

saulted at least once in their lifetime by their partners, a member of their families, or an unknown person. Letting sexual violence happen lies in the gray zone between what is physical or mental.

Since a particular woman/teenage girl thinks “no” without saying it, and the opposite sex feels that since she did not say “no”, it means that she does not refuse sex. And here, we are not only talking about rape, we are also highlighting other forms of“let it happen”, that victims of violence often consider as benign or without serious consequences.

BY: LOUBNA EL ISMAILI EL ALAOUI

Cécile, a French girl in her early twenties is one among countless victims who were subjected to sexual violence.

Cécile encountered a handsome teenage boy a few weeks before she turned 17 in a bar that is near the high school she used to study in. Thanks to their friend in common who invited them along with other classmates and paid for their beers.

The feelings that Cécile had for that boy were “intense” as she describes them. She also said that she has never felt that way before and that she thinks love is like baby venomous serpents.

“I will go in-depth so you can understand my theory, love is like baby venomous serpents; when they bite their prey, the latter do not have total control over the poisonous substance they secrete. However, when they grow up, they subdue their victim.”

Other than that, Cécile mentioned she had finally felt safe and happy because she was mentally tired back then. She admitted that her parents forced her to get a scientific degree and follow a path they drew for her even though she has never liked sciences. Depression made her smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol so as to escape from reality.

Why do people harass others? and how does it feel when a person gets assaulted?

“I have always been extremely rational, and I could not believe in strong feelings or mystical forces… I saw him for the very first time, we did not talk too much for we were shy but we felt an instant connection, as though we were soulmates. We met a couple of times in other places and he was very nice to me and protective It had been love at first sight and we ended up as partners two or three weeks later

33

INTERVIEW

Clementine Burnley’s

strategy about holding conversations about racism and not dying in the attempt There are some conversations that are difficult to start and hold. Some of them, because a taboo might be mentioned, while others are just about delicate matters. Some topics are difficult to manage because offending someone sometimes could be too easy (especially in social networks and virtual forums) if your ideas are not well-explained enough. Choosing the right words and the way of exposing them, indeed, is not enough although it means a step forward. But what more can be done? According to the public storyteller and community worker, Clementine Ewokolo Burnley, “an active listening allows us to complete the cycle of dialogue as well as creating new ones’”.

Clementine Burnley.

Photography from the 2017 Bristol Short Story Prize, in which she was awared along with other writers

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INTERVIEW ELISA ANDUEZA DOSAL

I

n her webpage, she says: “I love to learn, and teach about the art and craft of writing”. Burnley writes essays and poetry, edits video and organizes performances to reflect about social issues, such as feminism and racism. On the 21st March, she participated as one of the panel speakers at the webinar A conversation about Critical Whiteness, in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination. This virtual event was organized by Veronika Uhl, Dinah Potthoff, Hannah Gries and Wendy Kodden, who are BBA Global Project and Change Management students of Windesheim Honours College. Their planification was supervised by the project coach, Flor Fernández Correa, the leadership coach, Sander Leusemkamp, and Balint Josa, the program Coordinator at UNITED for Intercultural Action.

THE QUESTION OF RACISM

COULD NOT BE ANSWERED BY SAYING YES OR NO

Clementine E. Burnley started her 10-minute presentation admitting that “being able to talk about whiteness is a bit scary”. The social worker explained that when she arrived in Europe when she was 15 years old, she could not say anything about that. People often told her that they did not want to be reduced as a category. Their arguments were based on defending their personality as individuals, “but they did not find any difficulty in calling me black. That was normal”. She doesn’t like criticism from some specific critical awareness approaches. The e-public seemed a little bit confused with her declaration. Burnley explained that some protest movements turn into a very performative demonstration, focussing too much on theoretical ideas instead of in-depth reflections about real actions. In these moments, the essence is lost amidst pretensions of superiority, like “Hey, look how progressist I am. Obviously, I am not racist”. However, this thought is not true, because the question of racism could not be answered by saying yes or no.

Racism goes from the most extremist behaviours, such as the case of George Floyd, to microaggressions in the form of apparently innocent commentaries which hide the le- gacy of a very old post-colonial education.

Clementine proposed a different approach based on not believing in race as there is only a 0.1% difference among our DNA, definitely, “not a relevant part in my life”. She believes that it is a matter of power, because when Madeleine McCann disappeared in Spain in 2007, everyone turned crazy. On the contrary, it does not happen the same with all people dying in the Mediterranean. “This situation can also be applied to the vaccinations of COVID-19. There is a big, big system which allows people to be

comfortable people to be comfortable and other people to be very uncomfortable (…) the black feminist approach says ‘impact on people who are the most marginalized by racism’”. The social worker helps individuals and groups to look at the relations between them, which are holding up systems of racism, in order to ask the question of ‘how I am supporting the system?’.

IMPACT ON PEOPLE WHO ARE THE MOST MARGINALIZED BY RACISM

The most important thing in this delicate dialogue is continuing the relationship in spite of the difficulties and our own needs, “maybe I have to step back and then forward in the conversation”. Naturally, conversations about racism are part of the socializing process itself as it is about how we build relationships, “a long-term effort so ruptures usually happen, walking away from each other instead of solving the difficulties as it happens in many war conflicts’’.

In fact, she said that talking about racism means liberation, keeping on working together and establishing a personal connection. Even if all of our energy is concentrated on being aware of ourselves instead of the power, it does not necessarily mean that every kind of racist bias is going to disappear immediately, but this auto-reflection has to be always in the process of being done. “White people educating themselves can go in parallel with engaging in collective actions with people of colour, of course (…) It happens very frequently in left movements that there are differences in positions’’, explained Clementine.

CONTINUING THE RELATIONSHIP IN SPITE OF THE DIFICULTES

It is very slow, but the change is latent. One of the forty people who joined the online meeting defined it as to “learn, unlearn and relearn”. We have to accept that human beings tend to categorize the world by using stereotypes. Making the complexity of reality something simple to understand without making big mental efforts. However, when it comes to fighting against racism, this automatic process can be harmful on different levels.

Another panel speaker, the freelance educator, Florian Fischer, explained that “maybe we could feel guilty as a part of the process, but we cannot ignore our background”. Related to this, Angeliki Fanouria, Senior Fellow of the NGO Humanity in Action poin-ted out the importance of how interaction encourages people´s curiosity towards a self-directed learning and a more empathic behaviour. Clementine Burnley drew three lessons for relations as a psychological first aid training: “Listening, speaking and observing”.

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TESTIMONIALS

People in the Heart of Racism

Each one of us had at least encountered a racism experience at least once in our lifetime,Here are some testimonials of people living abroad either for studies, work, or personal reasons that have been the victim of discrimination AYA BHILAT

Mariama, a guinean student living in Tunisia

‘‘I must admit that I was not expecting

experencing discrimination in a african country like Tunisia, because after all we belong to the same continent’’

The day I was a victim of racism dates back six months ago, I had just arrived in Tunisia for studies’.

One day I was looking for clothes with my Tunisian friend Farida, I saw a blouse that I like and I wanted to try it, I then went to the fitting room where I find two saleswomen standing at the entrance, I have to mention that they already welcomed me in a very cold way unlike my friend because she is Tunisian, After going out both of the saleswomen started saying bad things about ‘‘Africans’’ They even said “she is going to make the clothes dirty “She doesn’t have a fit body for those pretty clothes”.

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Fortunately, Farida was there with me and translated everything they said and defended me, and asked to meet their manager in order to complain about their unacceptable behavio At that moment they were afraid to be fired or suspended, they apologized and helped her to find better outfits and make a choice based on that.

But until today, Farida and I still don’t know the hidden reasons behind their racist behavior, still feel lucky to have such a friend by my side and a strong personality to not be affected by that bad experience.

TESTIMONIALS

Badr, Moroccan student living in France I experienced a racism situation last year on the tramway, that day the tramway was full of travelers. I remember that it was a normal day after school, i put my headphones to hear music so I was not able to hear anything at the begining. Once we arrived to the station where i’m supposed to stop. i made sure that no one wants to go down before me and no one was there. Suddenly, a 50 years old man came to the door, pushed me and started yelling on me and calling me: “Dirty arab“ Also saying: “Go back to your country!“ “Who gave you the right to share the same public transport as me ?” I can’t deny that his words made me so furious and mad but i’m glad that i was able to control my anger and didn’t defend myself back then. I think he treated me that way because at the same period there were conflicts and tensions between both countries due to the carricatures of the prophet Mohamed published for the second time by a french magasine,

Mohamed, student from Yemen living along with his family in The Netherlands During a football game, we were playing for the championship of local football clubs from the whole country, so if we win we will be qualified to the next round, otherwise we will be eliminated Our team was mainly foreign people from Morocco, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt,Syria and Irak, while the opposing team members were all dutch. We played hard for hours, we even scored two goals but they didn’t count them The football referee even went too far with his injustice that he didn’t give me the right for a very clear faoul in my favor on the Penalty spot, while i had a broken arm due to that strong intervention. By the end, the other team winned and scored one goal ,still we were able to achieve equality but the referee announced the end of the game 10 minutes before the official timing, without counting the extra-time

“I never felt so much discrimination and injustice more than that day, it was unfair!”

Racism is a global issue that concerns everyone, especially some ethnicities and origins who have to fight on a daily basis against it. The reasons behind xenophobic attacks and racist behaviors are mainly poverty, unemployment, lack of awareness but can also be deeper than that.

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Blog

An Unexpected Experience of Racism Abroad BY: LOUBNA EL ISMAILI EL ALAOUI

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or a Moroccan young girl, a study-abroad program in the Netherlands is an eye-opening experience. It was the case for me, until I encountered a particular person.One day, I was playing basketball in Zwolle

A Dutch boy came to me and realized in a couple of seconds that I am not European. He asked me where I am from, I replied politely that I am from Morocco. And right after that, his face expressions changed.

with some international students. Then he asked me:

JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK By: Loubna El Ismaili El Alaoui

Blog I do not know; you look Spanish if you ask me…

Never mind, is it safe in Morocco? For I know Moroccans are not good and can steal people She did not pay attention to what he said but asked him not to generalize for bad people are everywhere. Then he said: You do not have clean water in your country, do you?

Aya said that Morocco has clean water. But “J” did not agree with her.

No, It is not clean, I am sure if I drink it, I would get sick, and do you wear a headscarf? You are not wearing right now Oh, you only wear it in your country, right? And seeing as you are alone here and free, you do whatever you want!

“What are you doing here?” his voice tone was a little bit bizarre. I said that I am studying journalism. He said: “Hm, interesting, and when will you leave?”

This question was a little bit weird; I do not know him and I am not intending to stay here forever.

Honestly, it was a horrible experience because that boy seems intelligent… I could not play basketball like usual; I was shattered and, on the verge to pour all the tears of my body. I was asking myself, why does that happen to Moroccans? Are we all terrible? I know that my friend and I are not perfect but we do not deserve to be treated that way. Fortunately, all of our friends defended us and said beautiful things about our country. J felt bad afterwards and left us.

After that sad day, we got along with amazing Dutch friends.

They are all lovely and invite us to their place every once in a while to discover this beautiful country and taste its delicious food.

The idea of coming to this beautiful country came across my mind one year ago. I have always loved Holland, its people and the Dutch language… and thought it was the best country in the world.

Plus, some Moroccan classmates of mine came to Holland the previous years in order to study constructive journalism; and all they shared with me are beautiful feedback… they actually confirmed the ideas I had in mind before experiencing them myself.

I arrived here last January, and made friends instantly… even my teachers are amazing, I feel like we are a family.

Besides, I would never ask a person this kind of questions... I replied again, politely: “for six months, give or take” then he said: “Do you know Geert Wilders?”, I said: “Yes, I do” He laughed and said “Oh, you will not get the joke” I still do not know what that joke is!

Then we stopped talking because we had to start the game.

Then he started interviewing Aya, my Moroccan roommate.

He asked her if she was Moroccan and she said Positive.

Then he said : JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK

Reportage

Arab Sahraoui Men in the desert - Pixabay

I Have Faced Racism Before, but the One That Hurt Me More is a Friend That I Used to Cherish Dearly LOUBNA EL ISMAILI EL ALAOUI

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eing discriminated in a particular area is when a group who possess that very place treat the former in an unfair way because of a certain difference in their skin color or ethnic background; and sometimes, it could be the other way around.. It is believed that in Morocco where citizens are JUNE 2021 | LET’S TALK 40

considered a mix of Arab, Berber and Arabized Berbers, some regions are racist with each other because they have different origins.

What is the story behind that?

Reportage Before answering this question, let us walk a little bit through history.

Amazigh or Berbers (free/noble men) are the indigenous people of North Africa that was encountered thousands of years ago by the Romans, Carthaginians, and Greeks. According to some sources, (https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/81634/1/Revista-Argelina_06_06.pdf). They comprise (Soussis, Riffians, Chleuhs Zayans, Amazighs and Chleuhs of the Sahara).

Berbers were also mentioned by the ancient Egyptians during the Predynastic Period in writings. The former believe they consist of numerous ethnic groups that are not related to one another, even their dialects are different, and one cannot decipher what the other says.

North Moroccans as well as other north Africans carry higher proportions of European (mostly Iberian origins) and Middle Eastern ancestral components.

Arabs came from Arabian Peninsula that includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, as well as the southern portions of Iraq and Jordan. During the Islamic rule that happened over less than two centuries ago, several Berber tribes started learning Arabic and replaced their native language by it. For at that specific time, Arab was an extensive language and happened to be the language of the elite or literal people The spread of Arabic and Islam represented Morocco’s first Arabization process.

The Berbers were second class citizens until the middle of the twentieth century. In some areas of northern Africa, the Berber people continue to be looked upon as ‘illiterate peasants’ dressed in traditional garments.

Arabs and Amazigh intermarried back then for years and lived among each other in north Africa.

The kingdom of Morocco worked for decades to integrate the different regions of the country. But some of the Amazigh including Riffians (who live in the Northwest of Morocco and the Mountains) have always felt like they have been treated like a minority by the Arab culture/community.

Imad Alla (Soussi): If you ask me, racism between Moroccans exists, You can sense it or see it in the media and the general ideology of people, Arabs often make fun of us and our accent, and think we are all stingy and so on… And you can notice Amazighs racism in racism activisms, they always wait for the tiniest opportunity to defend their race, Other than that, I love Arabs and I do not mind marrying one someday, We are all Muslims, and our religion hides the differences between us,

Pinterest

BERBER WOMAN

I have faced racism before, But the one that hurt me more is a friend that I used to cherish dearly We were friends for 3 years approximately. I thought she liked me, at least that is what her vibes made me think of her back then She used to make fun of me or backbite me whenever we meet her family, friends or Soussis, I am an Arab, but I understand what Berbers say when they talk to each other, plus, their body language makes things a lot easier, One day she told her friend: “I hate Arabs, they are impolite, big liars and thieves, other countries hate us because of their stupid behavior and above all that, they stole our land and think they own it!

They should leave it!” I felt like I was stabbed in the back, I have already heard this sentence, but I have never been hurt this much. Other than that, I used to date a Soussi back in 2019, When I started having strong feelings towards him, he said: “You know what I really like you, but you cannot meet my parents. They hate Arabs… and I do not think I can marry you because our kids will be cursed”

Loubna El Alaoui (Arab): I personally think that there are no pure Arabs or Berbers even if some of us deny that, for we mingled for years and intermarried with different races and origins,

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REPORTAGE Riffians do marry Arabs as opposed to Soussis who oblige their families to marry Soussis only. But Riffians hold a grudge against our government and think they have always suffered from political neglect by it since 1921 when Abdelkrim Alkhattabi established the Riffian republic. Thus, Spain and France sensed the danger from afar and decided to destruct that republic. Then other similar yet worse events happened in 1958, 2005 and 2016. Riffians think they were abandoned by the Moroccan kingdom and their cities are still deserted.

“

Arabs and Berbers should mingle because they latter are all cousins, and we all hold Berber and Arab DNA in our genesx

”

Souad and Mohammed (Riffia and Arab): Souad is Riffia and her husband is Arab, and their story is a successful one. Even though a group of Amazighs think that mixed children turn out impolite because of the Arab genes.

Souad’s story with her husband proves them wrong.

Souad and Mohammed are married for over 30 years, they have beautiful children who married Riffians and Arabs. The couple love one another and their children unconditionally and travel the world together.

“

In their own point of view, bad people are everywhere, Moroccans should support one another and leave the hatred and political issues behind, We should fight against Racism,

”

Pixabay

Fettah

and

Nouzha

(Berber

and

Arab):

Another success story. Fettah is Berber, and his wife is Arab, they have been together for over 40 years and have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. As far as they are concerned, people compare them to love birds; they are old but still go on dates, buy gifts for each other, and treat one another like king and queen. Fettah and Nouzha said that

“

Arab Sahraoui boy

No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite

”

Nelson Mandela

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let’s act