Cartoon starving ethiopians
24 September, 2007 | 6 comments | Category: I.dentity, ethnicity, i.mmigration, peace & conflict
I am not even sure if the publication of this cartoon in a student newspaper @ UVA, a huge academic institution outweighs the apology that followed, in levels of preposterous prejudice…
it’s curious what is ‘funny’ about this image? the food fight without food? offending about this cartoon…the loin cloths? the thin bald bodies?
“We apologize to the entire University community for the poor editorial judgment exercised in running a comic that is so clearly inappropriate and hurtful. Understandably, the comic upset and offended members of the community who thought it unfairly depicted victims of horrible tragedy as savage and violent — reducing starving people to a punch line...
The Cavalier Daily’s policy regarding censorship was published in the lead editorial of April 24, 2006 after a different comic sparked similar discussions. The editorial read: “First, does the author truthfully depict a verifiable historical or contemporary situation? If not, and the context of the work is creative, we ask two more questions. Does the author make a serious, intentional point, the censoring of which would constitute viewpoint discrimination? Also, does the author criticize or make light of a group of people for any reason other than their own opinions or actions?”
The comic in question clearly violates the third criterion. That is, it criticizes people for circumstances they cannot change.”
Did the Cav Daily apology “Worth 1000 words” not address the equation Ethiopian people = starving…? and am I the only one hearing the helplessness in the critiqued people’s inability to change circumstances… or is it just my cynicism reading too much into it? really…? Please humor me because I have no idea!
Cartoonists’ statement:
“This was by no means intended to negatively portray Ethiopia or its people,” Woolard wrote. “[T]he term ‘food fight’ was not meant to imply that the figures were fighting for food, but rather with food, as the common usage of the term suggests. In the most extreme cases of famine in many parts of the world, people have had to resort to eating what would otherwise be considered inedible in order to survive…. This surrealistic hypothetical situation invites the reader to realize that what initially appears to be a joke reflects a sobering reality.”
Paulos put it this way: “The University of Virginia unfortunately has a history stained with dark memories. The level of ignorance and racism prevalent on these grounds cannot be sufficiently expressed in a few sentences. The comic strip is indeed indicative of the larger racial climate existent on this campus. It is suggestive of a broader question of black marginalization; whether it’s the treatment of black staff or the hiring and retention of black faculty, students of color continue to feel excluded from the larger community as a whole. As long as these larger issues are not addressed and resolved, smaller institutions such as the Daily will remain ignorant to the concerns of minority students at the University of Virginia.””
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6 comments to “Cartoon starving ethiopians”
Alpha, October 2nd, 2007 at 4:46 pm:
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Could our emotions have possibly been calloused to these jokes that we, ourselves, even laugh it off when we here it and think nothing of it?
Because of the bit grain of turth it might have in it, have we just consciously or subconsciously decide to be passive about jokes like these?…….I think most of us have…..
I heard this joke on Comic View and everybody (ethiopians included) were cracking up…..
the “comedian”: I went to DC and to my surprise there were lots of Ethiopian Restaurants……how is it that these ppl are dying of hunger in their country but own a restaurant here”……..maybe it’s because i don’t find comedians all that funny….or because this was just sour for my taste….i didn’t laugh……
tpeace, October 12th, 2007 at 1:28 pm:
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honestly I ask myself this exact question… the perpetuation of stereotypes works two-fold, to reaffirm a stereotype and the recruit new converts to that train of thought…and yet, it’d be authoritarian to claim a clamping down on all stereotyping…!!?? and i can’t find an answer!
alphy luv ur thought-provoking comments…!
Dr.Ethiopia, February 23rd, 2009 at 6:49 pm:
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We are very much used to this type of insensitive expression and one that is mis-guided.
The starvation in Ethiopia and discussing it or depicting it in such dispassionate manner has gotten old.
Some cartoonist who has been swayed by the media, i guess, can use this opportunity to display his/her creativity, without any regard to the countless kids that are affected by poverty.
Let me be the one to say “fuck y’all bigoted bunch”.
On that note, i also would like to say that we should be a society who calls out this sort of irresponsibility. Sort of ‘a voice for the voiceless’
tpeace, March 5th, 2009 at 6:41 pm:
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u know it’s quite funny I heard this going to a k’naan concert recently:
young mom: this great ethiopian rapper is doing a free show his nickname is the ‘dustyfoot philosopher’…and you know, in this one line he says we in ethiopia so skinny we don’t even need lipo!
Guy in suit: |laughs| oh! that iss true!!i was like wth? firstly k’naan isn’t exactly ethiopian, though most probably what’s the difference to her anyways right? secondly…to pick that one line to tell someone who’s never heard about this musician out of all the words about the artist when the artist has used so many other words to described his home country and africa
to me…her comment made the infrastructure of the lady’s mind apparent when it comes to ethiopia/somalia/africa. most probably her brain is vacant dry and baren with ‘famine/starvation/war’ blinking in neon signs. i don’t know what paradigm shift it would take for her to pull the plug on those neon lights or for her to enrich her to feel motivated to enrich her knowledge and understanding about that area…but then really from her point of view why should she, right? its beyond her convenience and comfort…eko!
Tsedey, March 11th, 2009 at 8:37 pm:
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wow! the most ignorant cartoon i ever seen. The “cartoonist” should be ashamed of himself cos the cartoon has so many misrepresentations/flaws and it’s far from surreal.
1.the outfit doesn’t represent ethiopian way of dressing.
2. they don’t look starved.
3. where’s the food they’re fighting for
4. stereotypical and insensitive
5.Most of all, what’s he trying to pass across? what’s the purpose of the cartoon.
Anteneh, November 15th, 2009 at 3:39 am:
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This is one of the most stereotype cartoons I have ever seen as usual. The level of ignorance when it comes to Africa in this case Ethiopia can clearly be seen. Just to think that hunger can be seen as a subject in this politically correct society so as to be is overwhelmingly irresponsible.
I grew up in Ethiopia all my life and was a little kid during the starvation in 1984. At that time the world came to the rescue and Ethiopia is always thankful. We always think that this tragedy is felt by everybody in every corner of the world Just to think that somebody out there is using this human tragedy as a punch line for a joke tells everybody that there is something wrong with that person.
Imagine Ethiopians joking about 911 in Ethiopia. Isn’t it the same? Even Ethiopians who are considered to be one of the poorest countries with a literacy rate of 36% and per capital income of $200/year think this is offensive.If you’re out there and you heard a joke about hungry Ethiopians please know that this is tragedy not comedy.