I started this project thinking that icons such as Mickey Mouse could not possibly have any kind of African heritage. I was surprised at the evidence I uncovered. I estimated that Mickey does have about 25% African blood and I have left a message on my website asking him to come out and be proud of his ancestral heritage.
NatBwood
2 comments:
Dear Shipsy,
The work is about who creates and controls the production of culture. To wipe away traces of ownership is to wipe away (or to attempt to wipe away) the existence of those who gave birth to the idea.
Everyone knows the importance of giving credit where it is due. We do it when we write our newspaper articles, our novels, our political and critical papers and even our school essays. Otherwise you end up being accused of plagiarism or worse...re-writing history.
Also Mickey Mouse is not just a mouse...he is a cultural icon influencing thought and a spokes'person' for an empire. In this case he is an example of how 'Black' culture is stolen, commodified, misrepresented and then finally written out of history as if we never existed.
If you want to check out another interesting website, you should check out the Jim Crow Museum at www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow.
Sometimes the only way to deal with stereotype, racism and erasure is to use irony, humour and satire. It gets people talking.
Cheers
NatbWood
Natalie Womyn....how goes it....this is a great site. Looking forward to seeing more of you on the world wide web.
Kathy Jaeger
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