Women, Addiction and Nation- My latest article

One of my articles has been published by Ragged University it is a free article and you can access it by clicking the link below.

Women, Addiction and Nation

Based on work that eventually lead me to write my thesis this article tackles some of the issues I came across whilst dealing with an apparently clinical condition. 

Queer black representation in films

I felt rather privileged to be invited to speak as a panellist at a film festival organised by Rainbow Noir this weekend. I was amazed by the independent films I watched, some heart warming some pointing out a frightening reality experienced by QTIPOC around the world.

At the heart of this festival lay two basic ideas one to showcase Black LGBT history through cinema and the second to provide a wider representation of the LBGT community. Representation is perhaps the most important issue here. October in the UK is celebrated as Black History Month. Which while essential is not very well publicised and often is met with accusations of racism. These accusations could not be further from the truth. History is often told in an ethnocentric manner, forgetting an essential part of the process. The history of black people is often forgotten or told crudely, lacking in nuance. However even within the events organised as part of Black History Month some histories are not told.

At a conference I was earlier this month a participant spoke about how the only Black History they learnt was about slavery. Black identity is not a monolith it covers several intersectional identities, each of which have their own intellectual standpoint. In an era when LGBTQ identity is either (re)criminalised or punished by death history of the community takes on a political meaning. A  classic example is India where both pro and anti LGBTQ rights groups argue by using history as an example. Claiming and locating homosexuality either in the west or in an ancient past does little to remedy the situation at hand. Homosexuality is often spoken about as a western idea and a consequence of westernisation threatening to erode the moral fabric of ‘traditional’ society. Despite these claims LGBTQ history does exist, it does not always follow a linear path or conform to the present day narrative, it is still a history that needs telling.    

Films are perhaps the best medium to capture and transmit this history. A popular means of communication of ideas films are often used as propaganda and the mouthpiece of the nation. The three biggest cinema industries (Indian, Chinese and Hollywood) are characterised by their heteronormative content. Given the nationalistic element it comes as no surprise that most films communicate a heteronormative, patriarchal reality. LGBTQ characters if present tend not to be main characters adding very little to the plot. Then of course there is the problem of stereotyping where the LGBTQ character lacks nuances and is solely a part of the scenery. The Vito Russo Test seeks to address the issue of LGBTQ representation in films its criteria being. While it does not guarantee the film is a good representation a lot of mainstream films fail to pass this test.

Representation is  a problematic area of mass media. at its heart lies the idea that mere inclusion is not enough for representation to matter it needs to be nuanced, it needs to challenge and dismantle stereotypes. The problem with an incorrect representation is that it informs a large majority about a minority. Playing into existing fantasies about a minority  a poor representation does  not build an understanding of minorities as people. Mainstream cinema tends to be formulaic and ahistorical even when it attempts to portray history it presents an anachronistic version of history.  Black people and particularly black LGBTQ people are excluded from this cinematic history.

Watching the numerous films I did on Saturday one could see a nuanced narrative of the community, safe, precarious, dangerous, celebratory, happy and sad. These were not mainstream films, while not perfect they captured the nuanced life of the community. Thinking back of the LGBTQ films I have watched it was almost always the non-mainstream films that have done any justice to the subjects they seek to represent. This is particularly true of Indian cinema, mainstream cinema uses homosexuality as a running gag through films, gay best friends, fashion designers or butch women bodyguards are the only visibility the community receives. In contrast Indian art cinema which is not commercially viable manages to create complex characters for whom there is sympathy not scorn. Memories of March by Rituparno Ghosh is one such film that tackles homophobia, coming out of the closet and acceptance without resorting to stereotypes. While the film is by no means perfect it is mature in its depiction of the LGBTQ community in India.

As stated earlier mere presence is not always indicative of representation, knowledge of the subject (in this case the LGBTQ community) is essential. Mere visibility does not always help tackle a complex subject, as Foucault points out visibility is a trap. While it is assumed that films have little or no effect on our formation of stereotypes the idea is not true. Films represent our daily lives, our fantasies. It is no surprise then that the common Hollywood trope where the black man dies first is also a reality on the streets of America.  When the only image one sees of transgender characters is comical, promiscuous and confused is it any surprise then that those are the exact slurs used against transgender people in real life.  In my research on Bollywood films and their audience the blur between cinematic reality and mundane reality crossed paths. While whistling at raunchy musical numbers on screen the men who watched these films also extended this behaviour to women around them. Cinema is not divorced from reality neither is it a discrete entity which is contained in a cinema hall. To represent accurately is not pedanticism but a necessity.

                                                          Trailer Memories in March 

Autumn Greetings in this season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Films feminism and disruption

In the space of two months I have seen protests about two films- Stonewall and The Suffragette. Both films deal with historical reality yet distort it to fit a convenient narrative. These aren’t an aberration but a rule. 

As Foucault points out visibility is a trap. Mainstream cinema is a means of propaganda it soothes our fears it reduces complex narratives to good and bad. It takes revolutionary ideas and domesticates them, taking the uneasy aspects of those ideas out. The stonewall riots were a response to corruption and everyday violence that threatened the most vulnerable in LGBT community black transwomen. Similarly the suffragette movement was more than the vote, it was a challenge to unfair and unequal laws that endangered the lives of women, physically, mentally, and socially.  The vote was only part of the demands that came from women who were being treated unjustly by a system that actively worked against them. That Sophia Duleep Singh has been erased is not surprising it is expected. The presentation of history in film tells us more about our present than our past. Mainstream cinema can only provide a comodified version of feminism.

I say comodified because the edge is taken out of the movement. Emotion replaces the revolutionary ideals of the movement. We still get the standard heterosexual narrative which allows the best looking people with a love interest to live and the rest to die. By the end of the film lose ends are always tied up. Emotions stand out more clearly than an actual narrative. Nostalgia characterises the storytelling. This is a clever strategy the heightened emotions on screen are cathartic.

Feminism is disruptive, it doesn’t make anyone feel good or triumphant. It is a force that is constantly challenging social boundaries. Feminism requires personal sacrifices it is not easy or convenient it requires breaking patterns of behaviour that we take for granted. Cinema of course works on an opposite model, it soothes all disruptions it creates a space to live out distress and then calms one down much like a therapy session. 

End Human Trafficking and Slavery

October in the UK is marked as Black History Month. Presenting history that is not part of the mainstream curriculum and remembering events that are often forgotten is the aim of the month. Slavery and colonialism form a large part of that untold history. We relegate slavery to the past forgetting it is still a modern problem. People are still trafficked into sexual, economic and medical slavery. It is only fitting that we remember both the past and resist injustice of the present.

The problem of present day slavery is tied to economic affluence and seated in an ethic that devalues human life. While 1833 is thought to be the year slavery was abolished not all aspects of it were abolished completely. Economic greed and lust are still some of the chief causes for this crime to continue. 

Manchester Cathedral is hosting a day conference in conjunction with several activist organisations and individuals committed to fighting this oppression. 

Miso Udon Soup

This is my most professional looking bowl of noodle soup I followed the techniques from watching chefs and videos. One of the nicest meal I had and even taught a friend how to make this.

Ingredients.

Miso Soup
Udon Noodles
Sesame Oil
Tofu
Spring onions
Mushrooms
Seaweed sheets

Drain and slice tofu add it to a pot of boiling water throw in sliced mushrooms then spring onions (the white bits) followed by strips of the seaweed. Boil for five minutes. Boil noodles in a separate pan drain (you can boil the noodles in the same pot as the vegetables, it thickens the soup a bit and adds to the nutritional content). Add miso with a pinch of pepper and sugar in the serving bowl and dissolve or dilute in a tablespoon of water. Put in a portion of noodles ladle in the soup garnish with the green bits of spring onions, a few strips f seaweed and a few drops of sesame oil.

PS: I am going to try this recipe with dumplings next

Harriet Tubman- Black History Month

You can read more about Tubman's work Here

AfroFuturesUK- A free conference

Afro Futures_UK, a collective of researchers, artists, programmers and activists exploring new ways of examining blackness and futurism. We are hosting a FREE Afrofuturist Conference and Exhibition on 10th October 2015. Please join us and share widely

October is here

I  painted this in the summer and forgot about it now that autumn is here and the trees are going red and orange I had to post this. 

St Josephine Bakhita. Black history month

One day I unwittingly made a mistake that incensed the master’s son. He became furious, snatched me violently from my hiding place, and began to strike me ferociously with the lash and his feet. Finally he left me half dead, completely unconscious. Some slaves carried me away and lay me on a straw mat, where I remained for over a month. A woman skilled in this cruel art [tattooing] came to the general’s house…our mistress stood behind us, whip in hand. The woman had a dish of white flour, a dish of salt and a razor. When she had made her patterns; the woman took the razor and made incisions along the lines. Salt was poured into each of the wounds. My face was spared, but six patterns were designed on my breasts, and 60 more on my belly and arms. I thought I would die, especially when salt was poured in the wounds… it was by a miracle of God I didn’t die. He had destined me for better things. St Josephine Bakhita 

St Josephine Bakhita   1869- 8th of February 1947 is the patron saint of  Sudan and  regarded as the patron of victims of human trafficking. She is the only Sudanese saint. She is the first African to be canonized since the early centuries of Christianity where the early Church was established and produced several saints. Cannonised in 2000 on 1st October remembering her is a wonderful start to black history month. 

A Catholic charity Bakhita House Project based in the UK  that works with victims of human trafficking aiming to provide refuge and professional help to those affected. To contribute to the charity click here