(Thank you to sanmiguelmalo for the pointer to this article.)
By Jeff Yang, Special to SF Gate
Diversifying the ranks of superheroes isn’t just about pop-cultural social justice — it’s about providing minority kids with a narrative around which to shape their identities and build a sense of self-worth, even if they feel excluded, different or disconnected.
The panel that began the discussion:
WisCon Saturday:
Cultural Appropriation and Writing Fantasy Outside Western TraditionNot all fantasy fiction is, or indeed should, came from faery, from Middle Earth, from Tolkien or from other Western European traditions. Not everything should be pseudo-medieval in nature, and it seems that more and more fantasy authors are drawing upon other cultural frameworks in fashioning their fictions. Yet, that comes with its own issues, such as cultural appropriation. A discussion of the embrace of neglected mythoi, and the pitfalls that may await the adventurous traveler there.
yhlee, one of the panelists, posts some thoughts on how it went. (This is the post as replicated at deadbrowalking, aka The People of Color Deathwatch; a Live Journal community.) An excerpt:
– When intent isn’t good enough.
You can’t judge intent from within the pages of the book, although I suppose you can guess. You can go into your writing with the intent of an angel and still emerge with subconscious racism or sexism or any other -ism. Or hell, what’s just plain a bad book. (I’ll spare you the examples.) I’m not arguing that it’s a bad thing to go into writing about another culture mindfully; I think it should be done more often. But it seems (as we say in math) necessary-but-not-sufficient.– Minority writers.
No one self-identifies as a “majority writer.” That’s a problem right there.
The Wiscon Live Journal community has a summary of some of the posts on the topic.
Call for Submissions for Film & video, Radio, and New Media Deadline June 1st, 2006
The
imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is an international festival that celebrates the latest works by Indigenous peoples on the forefront of innovation in film, video, radio, and new media. Each fall, the festival presents a selection of the most compelling, distinctive Indigenous works from around the globe. The festival’s screenings, parties, panel discussions, and cultural events attract and connect filmmakers, media artists, programmers, buyers, and industry professionals. The works accepted reflect the diversity of the world’s Indigenous nations and illustrate the vitality and excellence of our art and culture in contemporary media.
imagineNATIVE considers film, video, radio and new media works made by Canadian and international Indigenous artists. The festival strives to represent a diversity of ideas, themes and genres in its programming. The festival prioritizes works that balance unique content, cultural and social relevance, and a creative approach to form characterized by innovative expression, distinctive style, and personal vision. Priority is given to works that have not yet been broadcast in Canada. International and Canadian premiere status is also a consideration. imagineNATIVE charges no submission fees.
All entries selected for the festival are eligible for awards. Awards presented in 2005 were as follows: $1000 Alanis Obomsawin Award for Best Documentary, Sponsored by the NFB; $1000 Best Dramatic Feature, Sponsored by CHUM TV; $1000 Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Emerging Talent, Sponsored by Vtape; $1000 Best Radio, Sponsored by Standard Radio Broadcasting; $1000 Best New Media, Sponsored by Vtape; $500 Best Short Documentary, Sponsored by CBC; $500 Best Short Drama, Sponsored by CBC; $500 Best Experimental, Sponsored by the Images Festival; $500 Best Music Video, Sponsored by imagineNATIVE.
Submission forms for film & video, radio, and new media are available for download from
the imagineNATIVE website.
imagineNATIVE is held in Toronto – this year’s dates are October 18-22, 2006
