A few years ago, in the early 1990’s, HBO and Disney produced a series of adaptations of classical fairytales and other stories by European writers to African American, Asian and Hispanic contexts. I wrote to Disney at the time, complaining and sharing some idea. In reply I got their lawyer’s letter stating that they were returning the letter because it included original ideas. Perhaps, if they used any of the ideas, they thought I could claim some payment, which I did not think of it. Maybe I should have proposed a business deal. Why I did not think of it? Probably because I was thinking of the ethical issues instead of the profit. One of these days I should start thinking about profit too.
My complain was about appropriation of classical work by
European writers, when African Americans, African nations, Asians, and
Hispanics have a great and rich collection of their own stories, legends and
fairytales. There was not need to change the characters of Andersen’s from “white”
to darker skins people in another culture. Especially when the story does not
feet at all the realities of these communities. However, I should mention that
some of the stories by some of these writers were adaptations to their own
communities of stories from other European nations. One example is the Emperor’s
New Clothes (Kejserens nye klæder) by Christian Hans Andersen. The
original story is found in the Spanish classic Libro de los ejemplos del
conde Lucanor y de Patronio (tale numer 32) from 1335 Spain by Don Juan Manuel. The author was also drawing
from tales and stories of Muslim Spain, India, Greece and other Arabic speaking
nations. However, differently from Disney’s versions, the writer left the
stories as they were found, except for the translations or an adaptation to
their own culture, not to someone else’s culture.
There have also been films in which “minority” actors or actresses
have sold themselves for a few dollars to portray negatively a fictitious
character, for an example someone from an Arab country or Greek. Take the film Zorba
the Greek or the opera Carmen. These make woman very low characters
and abused justifying their death and the apathy of the community. Although,
the writer’s intent may have been different, the outcome of these work on the
screen portrays the female very negative. Tragically in the days of the story Greece,
Crete, Spain, and other nations had laws that granted justification to man for
violence against women or prevented proper prosecution of the perpetrators. In
other cases, women are the villains as it was often in Disney’s earliest
cartoons. To rescue them a new series of ridiculous films have been produced to
justify or clarify why these poor villains became so evil.
My advice to Disney et al. was to carefully research stories
and legends from Africa, Ibero America, native and first nations communities,
and Asia. They would find stories that they could present in animation or a
film with actresses and actors from those nations or ethnic groups. To attempt the pseudo contextualization of
European tales to “minority” communities, is condescending and one of the worse
patronizing insults. Just as a “white” man playing a black or Native American
person instead of hiring actors from those communities. This does not happen
often as it did years ago. Nevertheless,
it can still be found in animation, when “white” voice actors and actresses imitate
stereotypical voices of black or Hispanic characters. That seems to be the case
of the Wild Kratts in PBS.
There is a place to adopt ways other cultures dress or how
they play music, as long as it is done with respect and mutual agreement and
understanding. Today there is no much difference of the way a professional
business man dresses regardless of ethnicity (often reflecting whoever is the
majority in that country). However, most of the time, the borrower or thief of
cultures and someone else’s legends is a naked self-deceived emperor and
exposed by a child.
Since the original story is not on film, as far as I know, here
is Andersen’s adaptation of one of the story in Libro de los ejemplos
del conde Lucanor y de Patronio which he titled Kejserens nye klæder. The work of Don Juan Manuel can be heard in castellano at
There is so much we can learn from this short tale:
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