heartbeats

-Global/globe-trotting DJ/Arabic music expert/G Filastine on MIA’s new vid, which I too have complex feelings about tho they are not as informed as this. Obviously it looks fucking awesome, and I love MIA, and this song, I cannot stop bumping it. BUT, HERE ARE SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT. Particularly IRT the fake “Arabic” writing on the single, the red carpet burqa she wore (which I still can’t decide if it’s amazing and subversive or pretty fucked up), and the background dancers in hijab (the latter examples greatly offended friends who are Muslim). What do we think about when we think about cultural appropriation, and who do we ascribe it to? Also, who “gets to” ascribe it? MULLING (via jawnita)

This sort of commentary is so important to me as I often need to remind myself to step back and see the nuance in the critical commentary of MIA. When I see the media attacking a woman of color I go into fight mode, however, there’s some highly problematic imagery in the Bad Girls video and regardless of independent research, I still find myself confounded when approaching politics as they relate to the Middle East.

I also appreciate this conversation that’s been floating around my dash. Although I enjoy the shit out of her music, there are still things that I find worrisome about MIA’s persona but find difficult to breathe into succinct and/or thoughtful sentences - which is ultimately why Maya is so damn captivating.

(via shana—e)

Great quote and this is precisely my issue with MIA. I think that she’s coming from a place of POC solidarity—which is great—but IMO, she goes about it in a misguided way because there’s a recklessness to her choice of imagery that actually works as a setback. I’m not sure whether this comes from her own lack of information regarding the subject matter she’s attempting to address, laziness or cluelessness, but it’s definitely problematic. Rather than subversive, it comes off as facile and sophmoric, and when you’re depicting imagery from cultures that are not your own, you at least owe it to those coming from those communities to get the nuances right. I don’t know if this even makes sense, but it’s one of my biggest issues with her. I generally like her music and I think it’s always important to have outspoken WOC out there in the mainstream, but I’m worried about what it is she’s actually saying.

(via thegreatpumpkin)

(via dopegirlfresh)