Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,143,414 members, 7,781,198 topics. Date: Friday, 29 March 2024 at 10:31 AM

Beyonce Pays Controversial Tribute To Fela - Celebrities - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Entertainment / Celebrities / Beyonce Pays Controversial Tribute To Fela (2471 Views)

Mike Tyson's Controversial Tribute To Late Singer, Prince (photo) / Fela's Bedroom Preserved Exactly How It Was Before His Death (Photo) / Big Disgrace: See What Happens To Fela’s Daughter On Stage (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply)

Beyonce Pays Controversial Tribute To Fela by okoji: 10:23am On Feb 23, 2011
Most people believe the shoot had racial undertones and was derogatory to Africans.Her skin was darkened to reflect perhaps art or perhaps the black race(monkey race).But really was that necessary as i don't see how that relates to fela?

SOURCE: www.huffingtonpost.com
Beyonce's Skin Darkened For L'Officiel Magazine: Offensive Or Artistic? (VIDEO, PHOTO)

The pop star poses in traditional African clothes and pays homage to Fela Kuti.

According to a statement from L'Officiel:

Far from the glamorous Sasha Fierce, the beauty posed for the magazine with amazing fashion designers clothes, but also in a dress created by her mother. [It is] A return to her African roots, as you can see on the picture, on which her face was voluntarily darkened. All the pictures will be available in the collector edition, on sell at the end of this month.
Jezebel's Dodai Stewart writes:

When you paint your face darker in order to look more "African," aren't you reducing an entire continent, full of different nations, tribes, cultures and histories, into one brown color? [, ] What if Beyonce were an Asian singer painted to look like a geisha, or given exaggeratedly almond eyes? Perhaps even more important: By painting Beyoncé's face darker, aren't the French fashion editors basically treating her like they would a white model, i.e. a blank-palette object on which to place concepts? And not an actual, authentic black person with African heritage?
Brown Sista notes, "Beyonce is almost unrecognizable to me, as her skin color has once again been manipulated by magazine editors so as not to offend their mostly white female audience." And The Root reminds us of Beyonce's 2008 L'Oreal ad, in which her skin appeared to be digitally lightened.

Re: Beyonce Pays Controversial Tribute To Fela by okoji: 10:33am On Feb 23, 2011
Beyonce Pays Tribute to African Legend Fela, but was the Black Face necessary

I grew up listening to Fela Kuti and made sure I did not miss out on going to watch the Broadway play based on his legacy  in New York last year. His music is on constant replay on my ipod; needless to say, I am a Fela fan of the highest order. When images of Beyonce’s now controversial photoshoot with a French based Magazine hit the net with Fela references all over it, being a Fela enthusiast I keenly read reactions on different  African and American blogs. For those who do not know “The 90th anniversary issue of iconic French luxury and fashion Magazine, L’Officiel Paris features international superstar Beyoncé on the cover.

According to the preview released by L’Officiel,


“The fashion magazine is about to celebrate its 90th birthday. To celebrate this anniversary, the festivities start with the March issue, with Beyoncé on the cover. The star agreed to pose for an incredible fashion shoot, with the theme of African Queen, paying a tribute to the legendary Fela Kuti (Nigerian political singer who died in 1997). Far from the glamorous Sasha Fierce, the beauty posed for the magazine in amazing fashion designer clothes, but also in a dress created by her mother. A return to her African roots, as you can see on the picture, on which her face was voluntarily darkened. All the pictures will be available in the collector edition, on sale at the end of this month.”


After following the debate on African and American websites, I could understand why some had taken issue with the “black face” pictures as is now labeled. Like most African posters on several other websites, I have come to fall into the group of people who think this was just pointless & silly even though not necessarily offensive to me (but I do understand why some African Americans have taken offense to the picture).  It is mind boggling to think the Magazine  and Beyonce thought this would be a good way to make her “return” to her African roots “as you can SEE on the picture”  they said. If you are like me, you are wondering what exactly we are suppose to SEE or understand about the picture in question. Apart from the fact that there is hardly any semblance to Fela in the theme but for the African inspired outfit, there are many conotations of stereotypical racial undertones which can be derived from the picture.

Why is it that to portray her African roots, her shade had to be blackened and only her face for that matter. Are there not different shades of Africans or they could not just find a darker skinned person if they were so hung up on color? Will the essence of the shoot be lost if she was not made to appear tribal in her animal print, ethnic marks and blackened face? Will we have missed the whole African aspect of the photoshoot without the darkened face? What does it say about their view of Africa and Africans? Just how this celebrates Fela Kuti, only lord knows. Many questions abound with such a picture, but the main point here is, there is NO point in the face coloring whatsoever for us to “SEE.”


It is not an uncommon trend for European and American magazines to “return” to African roots or show their African solidarity with such misrepresentations that play on racial stereotypes. Case in point this front cover of “The Independent” for their Africa Issue. An African model could have easily been used for this cover or one of the celebrity do gooders. So take a minute to think for yourself why they would rather have a blackened caucasian model. According to me, the white model is darkened to show caucasian solidarity with Africans as all the celebrity do-gooders mentioned on the cover are caucasian anyways.

But how necessary was this imagery? It’s the same sentiment of resignation I felt when Vanity Fair did an “I am African” spread headed by none other than Iman (an African woman), in which tribal marks and dirty looking dresses were the norm. Yes, I get it,  DNA traces everyone back to Africa, but please, let us not be overly simplistic to our racial identities.

There is no global African passport. As Selome Araya mentioned “the ‘I am African’ campaign is one that may have good intentions, but is grossly offensive and appalling. Appalling because an African woman is behind it, offensive because of the feathers, face paint, and European superstars posing as “Africans”. So now we have Gwyneth Paltrow with striped paint on her cheek, a plethora of jewellery on her neck, with the phrase “I am African” across her chest. I understand the point is to educate people on the AIDS crisis on the continent, but could it not have been done in a more respectful, tactful, and tasteful manner? But more importantly, what these campaigns do is make “AIDS in Africa” a commodity, something that is fashionable and marketable, and makes the only reference people have to the continent one that is linked to death and poor health. To have celebrities (who are not of African descent) say that they are “African” is to imply that since they are now “African” they also somehow have AIDS. It’s sending a message that being African is synonymous with AIDS. more

While some might argue that such pictorials are art, fashion and people needn’t be so sensitive,  it is important for us to take issue with tastelessly executed racial pictorials about us as a people. If pictures do say more than words, then I think they deserve much more scrutiny as to the message they are sending. If you think a tribute to Fela without the whole face painting could have been done, then you need to ask why and what the current face painting adds to the tribute that they couldn’t do without.Now look at the ” I Am African” picture, you tell me what this says about you being an African and your heritage. As with the Beyonce’s picture, the Independent Cover and the Vanity Fair cover, there are always good intentions involved, but just because intentions are good does not mean we should miss the undertones associated with them. Some of us shout art, fashion until we interact with someone on a personal basis and are taken aback by their ignorance but we fail to realize that magazines and tv are the mediums by which such ignorance is perpetrated. I think the true insult is in the reason for her painting her face; a black person not being black enough to portray black culture or just her making a statement that a certain shade of black is the defining standard. Wonders shall never end, or should I say ignorance.


       
Comments (2)
1. zayazayade says:
February 20, 2011 at 4:38 PM
Everything is now the new black and everyone yearns to be black! You can be black and yet not know it! Beyonce is beyond redemption as are the millions of other Black people in America who in their simplistic understanding equate color to Africantude. Her painting herself a shade of black is a pointer to the fact that she does not think she is black (enough)! It is a statement of seperating herself from the African black and saying that she is Black American but is happy to empathise and try to understand black African aspirations. Ugha! Ugha!…now where is my grass skirt…and ochre to paint my face!

Reply
2. Quakouman says:
February 21, 2011 at 2:42 AM
This is ridiculous. Why should Beyonce paint herself to appear black. I agree with the above comment. it is because she does not see herself black enough and that is why she went an extra mile to do additional paintings. A majority of people out there believe every continental African is as black as night and forget to understand that our black color comes with lots of diversities. May be Beyonce does not know that there are continental African much fairer in complexion that her. I think it is time for the entire world to wake up and read more about our motherland

SOURCE: http://www.cameroonechoes.org

(1) (Reply)

Uk Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2face, Mtvceo Alex Okosi Nominated For Thisday Awards / Kcee Of Kc Presh Reveals ”why We Broke Up” / An Old Photo Of King Sunny Ade

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 26
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.