So High, You Can't Get Over It
Well, we found it in Spain too...
I blogged about representations of 'blackness' when I was in Norway, and so I now have to provide a short report about what I saw in Spain.
As Brunsli mentioned about Paris, I also saw many locked Spaniards, mostly folks who were trying to manifest a bohemian lifestyle. But what was so interesting to me about Madrid, was the tremendous change to the city over the last 10 years. I had the opportunity to pariticipate in the EAP program to Madrid when I was an undergrad. During that time I may have seen 5 other Black women in Spain (yes, I was looking and counting), though it was more common to see Black men (but not in large numbers). I was stared at incessantly in the streets and in the shops, and people would often stop me to make comments about my skin color, my lips, my nose etc. Admittedly, 99% of the comments were meant to be flattering, and I didn't actually mind the exoticization after dealing with trifling folks in LA for 4 years....
At that time, the main popular reference for Black women was Naomi Cambell, so no, I wasn't tripping ;-)
Fast forward to the present and Madrid is so different. You can hear various languages being spoken when you walk down the street, advertisements feature interracial, international, and cross-cultural families, Spaniards have also begun adopting children from Africa and Asia, and there are people of color everywhere.
This government-sponsored adverstisement was in the subway and states that the integration of immigrants benefits everyone. Amazing, eh? Show me an example of such support in the US.... (ok, that is another blog...).
Still, some things don't go away so quickly. Part of the way the culture is dealing with these shifts is through increased, entrenched exoticization. This is a touchy subject, but I do read this as an example of the crazy blending of fear and fascination that often accompanies racial questions (I am really trying to state this delicately). There is an increase in interest in jazz music, for example, but notice the way it also conjures minstrelsy.
Even the cotton club is recuperated, but not much understanding about the racism, segregation, and exploitation that went along with it (the performance of 'blackness' for white audiences specifically).
To be fair, maybe the Spaniards are more savy about their choices than I am giving them credit. Who knows.
posted by Helga @ 8:42 AM
6 Comments:
Hmm. I have many thoughts a-swirling... thanks for a thought-provoking post!
i found myself in madrid during easter was year and was shocked at the black representations of jesus in the parade. although muslims and christian don't agree @ jesus, i was still shocked as an african- american by a black jesus in spanish parade. most of the black folks that i saw were african immigrants.
interestingly, i was advised to alter my spanish a bit. having learnind spanish in california cerca de la frontera and mexico i was told that a few of the words and phrases that i used were mostly used by the lower class folks in spain. did you experience this? (assuming you speak spanish)
mulimahlocs: Oh yes! I studied Spanish in the US first, so I do have a sense of the differences between what is spoken in Spain and other places. Spaniards also tend to be very quick at letting someone know what words are or are not used in Spain. On this trip I was travelling with a woman from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, and another from Central America, so we often had the 'conversation' about language use.
Interesting... I wonder how it's interpreted by the Spaniards... or the Africans who have migrated there?
Hey Sis! What an interesting post. I'm not sure many of those posters or billboards would go over so well in the states though (-:
Hi Helga!
Thanks for sharing. I am not sure what to write other than that. I am still processing the images.
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