The director of Taylor Swift's new music video set in Africa struck back on Wednesday at mounting criticism of the scarcity of black people in the mini-film and its romanticized portrayal of the continent.
"Wildest Dreams," a love story filmed against a backdrop of giraffes, lions, waterfalls and stunning sunsets, has been viewed more than 15 million times since it was released on Monday to accompany the American pop superstar's latest single.
Although Swift is donating all proceeds to the African Parks Foundation of America, critics have seized on the video as portraying a stereotyped colonial-era view of Africa.
"So thank you, Taylor Swift, for proving once again that African stereotypes are safe atop the pinnacle of American pop culture," wrote Matt Carotenuto, who teaches African studies at New York state's St. Lawrence University, in an article on Wednesday on Salon.com.
Director Joseph Kahn said the "Wildest Dreams" video depicted a love story on the set of a period film in Africa in 1950.
Kahn said there were black Africans in the video in background shots but that it would have been "historically inaccurate to load the crew with more black actors as the video would have been accused of rewriting history." He also noted that the video's producer, Jil Hardin, and editor Chancler Haynes are both African-American.
"There is no political agenda in the video. Our only goal was to tell a tragic love story in classic Hollywood iconography," Kahn said in a statement.
Swift, who has some 62 million Twitter followers and whose "1989" album has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, has not responded to the criticism.
In an article for National Public Radio's website, James Kaaga Arinaitwe and Viviane Rutabingwa, who have both lived and worked in several African countries, said Swift was not the first person to use the continent as a backdrop for romantic tales.
"We are shocked to think that in 2015, Taylor Swift, her record label and her video production group would think it was OK to film a video that presents a glamorous version of the white colonial fantasy of Africa," they added.
Reuters
Thu Sep 03 2015
Swift, who has some 62 million Twitter followers and whose "1989" album has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide, has not responded to the criticism.
ICJ perintahkan Israel ambil tindakan tangani kebuluran di Gaza
Panel hakim di ICJ sebulat suara memerintahkan Israel untuk mengambil tindakan segera bagi menjamin penghantaran bekalan makanan asas kepada warga Palestin di Gaza.
Jangan ambil tindakan sendiri, Malaysia ada undang-undang
Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain memberi amaran dan peringatan keras kepada orang ramai untuk tidak mengambil tindakan sendiri berhubung apa jua insiden yang berlaku di negara ini.
34 penjawat awam ditahan, sebabkan ketirisan RM2 bilion
Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) mendedahkan jumlah ketirisan akibat kegiatan sindiket penyeludupan babitkan beberapa anggota Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia di Kargo Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA), Sepang mencecah 2 bilion ringgit bagi tempoh tiga tahun lepas.
[KOLUMNIS] Penyesuaian pesakit dengan stoma: 5 perkara yang perlu anda ketahui
STOMA merupakan bukaan usus di bahagian badan pesakit yang terhasil selepas pesakit menjalani pembedahan berkaitan usus.
Pasangan suami isteri, dua lelaki didakwa perdagang wanita Malaysia di Peru
Sepasang suami isteri dan dua lelaki yang dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen mengaku tidak bersalah atas pertuduhan memperdagang dua wanita Malaysia di Peru.
PM ucap selamat raikan Good Friday, Easter Sunday kepada penganut Kristian
Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mengucapkan selamat menyambut hari Good Friday dan Easter Sunday kepada seluruh penganut Kristian.
Singapura rampas 1.5 tan produk segar dan makanan proses dari Malaysia
Kira-kira 1.5 tan produk segar dan makanan diproses yang diimport secara haram dari Malaysia dirampas Agensi Makanan Singapura (SFA).
AWANI Ringkas: Jumlah hari tol percuma kekal
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Kemarau: KADA anggar 40,000 tan metrik hasil padi terjejas
Kawasan tersebut sangat kering, mengakibatkan tanah merekah dan tanaman rosak teruk.
Pemuda Dong warisi perniagaan buah kabung
Proses mendapatkan buah yang turut dikenali sebagai buah nau dalam kalangan masyarakat utara itu rumit dan memerlukan kesabaran tinggi.
Lupakan ego, pemimpin terbesar gereja Katolik cium kaki pemimpin Sudan Selatan
Dalam pertemuan itu, Pope Francis memohon agar kedua-dua pemimpin berkenaan mengembalikan keamanan di negara Afrika itu.