Category Archives: archive

The “Venus Hottentot Cake” food for discussion

Last week a cake in the shape of a stereotypical depiction of an African woman turned out to be food for discussion. Swedish Minister of Culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth started an event about freedom of expression by cutting the lower part of the cake. While she did, all smiles, the head started to scream. The message of the action was against female genital mutilation suffered by women across the African continent. Afro-Swedish artists Makode Linde was commissioned to make an artwork for the 75th anniversary of the Swedish Artists’ National Organisation at Moderna Museet on April 15. The purpose of the work was to make the audience uncomfortable. The event itself was about freedom of expression, the struggle against censorship and the freedom of art. The Afro-Swedish population, however, wasn’t very pleased with the role of the Minister of Culture. According to Afrosvenskarnas Riksförbund, it is an act of racism and Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth should step down.

Continue reading The “Venus Hottentot Cake” food for discussion

Belo Monte and Xingu – Brazilian contradictions

In February the president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, approved the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant in Xingu River that will flood 18,000 kilometers and reach 12 indigenous lands. Dilma (as the Brazilians call her) made Raoni, chief of the Kayapo people, cry as he was trying to stop this big project since 1989.

Continue reading Belo Monte and Xingu – Brazilian contradictions

Religion and the taboo on female chant

Since June 2007 the people of Gaza are being confronted with strict morality rules of the Hamas, a fundamental Islamic movement, who governs the Gaza portion of the Palestinian Territories. For example, it is forbidden to participate in the New Star, a talent show broadcast on Palestinian television. This is annoying for pop singers who wants to be heard outside of Gaza. But the situation of the female singers is more than annoying. A female singer is being seen as equal to a prostitute. If they want to sing, they can do it quietly at home in front of the family but not publicly. As we already saw in Afghan Star, the documentary, it can be quite problematic for women to sing in public in Afghanistan, but it doesn’t seem to be any better in Gaza, Iran or orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

Continue reading Religion and the taboo on female chant

The meaning of Tinariwen

Dakar – Mali looks like two countries, at least for the time being. One part, in the South, lost its elected government in a coup d’état on March 22, in which president Amadou Toumani Touré was chased from the power he was going to relinquish anyway in April. The soldiers have since agreed to hand power back to a civilian interim leader, before presidential elections are held. In theory.

Continue reading The meaning of Tinariwen
Santorum girls

Santorum girls

Since we already covered some musical annotations from the current president of the US, Barack Obama, as well as one of the Republican hopefuls, Mitt Romney, we couldn’t leave out one of the other main runners for the Republican candidacy: Rick Santorum. A video has gone viral some time ago that shows two girls expressing their love for Rick Santorum’s policies – through song.

Continue reading Santorum girls