A
alexk
Guest
Violence and insensitivity.
This was evoked by aspects of last Sunday’s PNM family day skit depicting a woman being disrobed of her sari by men dressed as gorillas, says the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (Cafra).
In a statement, Cafra noted the skit involved men dressed in red costumes as gorillas disrobing a woman attired in a yellow sari —yellow being the colour associated with the UNC—it appeared the skit’s purpose was to reveal ways in which the PNM could convert yellow into red, and UNC support into PNM support.
Cafra stated it was disappointed by aspects of the skit and “even more so by the expressions of support which it has received from leaders of the country.”
“On behalf of all citizens, we call on the PNM and indeed all political parties, to embark on internal education programmes with their supporters to deepen understanding and commitment to non-sexism and to a culture of diversity, respect, tolerance and non-violence.”
Cafra also noted National Security Minister Stuart Young saw the skit as a ‘bit of fun.’
But Cafra noted, “That’s not the way it has been received by segments of our community, including us at Cafra.”
“Here are some of the messages which we received. We note that the person being disrobed of her sari is a woman. We note that the disrobers are dressed in costumes of violent animals—gorillas. We note the implication that UNC supporters are all Indians. These messages, intended or thoughtlessly conveyed, feed into or mirror some of the worst aspects of Trinidadian life.”
“The act of removing another’s clothes without consent is an act of violence. When men do this to women, it is usually in the context of a sexual assault. This kind of ‘skit,’ therefore, feeds directly into rape culture. The men’s conduct of violating a woman’s privacy and freedom of expression is also a feature of gender inequality where men express power and control through domination. And yes, the idea of the disrobing of an Indian woman feeds into harmful stereotypes of Indian women’s passivity and brings to mind the polarising centrality of ethnicity in the political dynamics of this country. The skit also suggests unfortunate stereotypes of men and in particular African men that should not be perpetuated.”
“So Cafra disputes that this is just ‘a bit of fun.’ And if it is, we ask, at whose expense? The country requires better from our political parties. We deserve thoughtful debate and dialogue and decency and intelligence from our politicians. And we deserve and demand men who reject harmful masculinity in the private and public domains. We live in precarious times with high levels of violent crime including rapes and murders of women,” the statement said.