Swedish culture minister
Lena
Adelsohn Liljeroth has come under fire since the photos and youtube video of
her cutting a cake designed in the shape of a naked black woman in Stockholm to
mark World Art Day went viral.
Liljeroth was pictured laughing and joking as she cut the
macabre
cake designed by Afro-Swedish artist Makode Aj Linde. The
treat featured a black woman’s naked torso with the artist’s own head, painted
black, at the top. Once cut open, the cake sponge was red, depicting
blood.
The firestorm has come from many quarters, but the most vocal
critics are members of the Afro-Swedish community. The National Afro-Swedish
Association branded the event a ‘racist spectacle’.
“In our view, this simply adds to the mockery of racism in
Sweden. According to the Moderna Museet (the art centre where the event was
staged), the 'cake party' was meant to problematize female circumcision but how
that is accomplished through a cake representing a racist caricature of a black
woman complete with 'black face' is unclear.”
Jallow Momodou, a spokesman for the association, and
national co-ordinator for the European Network Against Racism in Sweden, in an
article published yesterday in The Guardian of UK, insists that “racism and
racist depictions against black people are common in Sweden.”
To buttress his stand, he points to certain incidence in
the past, including one in October 2010 where a white Swedish man went on a
rampage in Malmö, shooting more than 20 people of colour and killing one. “The
killer was officially considered to be a lone wolf with psychological problems
rather than a terrorist with racist motives, and he has still not been
prosecuted,” he noted.
Momodou who narrated his experience with racial profiling
as a black Swede, is calling for the minister’s resignation. Another
spokesperson of the National Afro-Swedish Association, Kitimbwa Sabuni, has also
called for Liljeroth’s resignation. It is the association’s position on the
matter. “Taking part in a racist manifestations masquerading as art is clearly
crosses the line and can only be interpreted as the Minister of Culture supports
the Moderna Museet’s racist prank,” Sabuni wrote.
The ongoing controversy re-echoes the age long debate about
artistic licence. It is often said that artists should not be held to the same
moral standards as the rest of us. The artist who made the cake has said he was
using performance art to portray the horror of female genital mutilation (FGM),
a practice that is still common in parts of Africa.
I have watched the video and I must say I am not comfortable with
it. It offends my sensibility as a woman and oversimplifies the issue.
I find it difficult to fix how the portrayal I saw in that
video will help stop the problem it claims to be raising awareness of. It
celebrated the act rather than condemn it. That those who gathered to show
concern about a practice that clearly dehumanises womanhood, should entertain
themselves with an art illustrating that, is itself condemnable.
My uneasiness is more with the artist than the
minister. His work is such an ugly grotesque representation of a human being.
Very appalling, sickening, deeply disturbing and shameful. Do you need to stage
rape explicitly to an audience to win their sympathy against it? I won’t deem
Liljeroth a racist for what has happened.
It is praiseworthy that she has acknowledged that. “While
the symbolism in the piece is despicable, it is unfortunate and highly
regrettable that the presentation has been interpreted as an expression of
racism by some. It is perfectly obvious that my role as minister differs from
that of the artist.
Provocation cannot and should not be an expression for
those who have the trust and responsibility of Government representative. I
therefore feel it is my responsibility to clarify that I am sincerely sorry if
anyone has misinterpreted my participation and I welcome talks with the African
Swedish National Association on how we can counter intolerance, racism and
discrimination,” she noted in a statement today.
Artist should balance their artistic licence with
considerations about the freedom and dignity of others. There is something
unseemly when our artistic liberty translates to deliberate mistreatment of
others. You can be helping my cause by dehumanising me.
Funmi Macaulay is a New York-based African American.
Email: funmiskyy@gmail.com
source:Science and Tech 4 Africa
