The short film "La Noire de..." distinctly reminded me of an article for my Gender and Violence in the Middle East class, discussing different kinds of silence: an oppressed silence and an active silence. For me, "La Noire de..." depicts both kinds of silence and raises the question "Is silence oppression?". As I mentioned in class, I do not think that silence is necessarily an acceptance of oppression. However, Diouana both accepts oppression and fights against it.
Diouana is a symbol of the oppression of colonial powers on their colonies. Her body and mind (culture and society) are brought down by her colonial rulers. She is constantly slaving away for passionateness masters with material concerns. She finds freedom in suicide, which is both an active and passive act.
I mostly find Diouana's acts to be a form of fighting against the system. She is heard in her acts, although not in a larger context. By committing suicide, she takes back her voice and her ability to make her own decisions. No longer can her masters enforce their colonialism on her body. Her act of decolonization (taking something back from the oppressors) carries over to her Senegalese community. In silence, her mother refuses to take the pay-off of the white employers, refuses to wash away their guilt by accepting the fruits of her daughter's body.
This reminds me of an essential concept of the class. Participation-- I think that a choice of silence in this class is not a form of intimidation or colonialization. While participation is mandatory, I think some of the more important concepts of the class are best processed and portrayed in our blogs. Through our writing we can reclaim our thoughts, rather than waiting in a line to comment. Through our blogs, and not necessarily in class participation, we are allowed the freedom to interact with the class materials (without the influence of societal judgement). We become free, in this way, because we have no barrier to our voice.
For me, colonialism and silence are best represented in the monotony of our society.
When you listen to this song, you feel the loss of identity that colonized people feel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zXWh0N-ZSE
Diouana is a symbol of the oppression of colonial powers on their colonies. Her body and mind (culture and society) are brought down by her colonial rulers. She is constantly slaving away for passionateness masters with material concerns. She finds freedom in suicide, which is both an active and passive act.
I mostly find Diouana's acts to be a form of fighting against the system. She is heard in her acts, although not in a larger context. By committing suicide, she takes back her voice and her ability to make her own decisions. No longer can her masters enforce their colonialism on her body. Her act of decolonization (taking something back from the oppressors) carries over to her Senegalese community. In silence, her mother refuses to take the pay-off of the white employers, refuses to wash away their guilt by accepting the fruits of her daughter's body.
This reminds me of an essential concept of the class. Participation-- I think that a choice of silence in this class is not a form of intimidation or colonialization. While participation is mandatory, I think some of the more important concepts of the class are best processed and portrayed in our blogs. Through our writing we can reclaim our thoughts, rather than waiting in a line to comment. Through our blogs, and not necessarily in class participation, we are allowed the freedom to interact with the class materials (without the influence of societal judgement). We become free, in this way, because we have no barrier to our voice.
For me, colonialism and silence are best represented in the monotony of our society.
When you listen to this song, you feel the loss of identity that colonized people feel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zXWh0N-ZSE
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