One Thousand and One Nights, often called The Arabian Nights, was written in Arabic and translated by a French scholar, Antoine Galland, in 1712. He added a Syrian tale by Hanna Diyab, “Aladdin and the Magical Lamp”.
Remember images of Justin Trudeau welcoming refugees to Canada and presenting a winter jacket to a Syrian child?
Recently we have been bombarded with images of a younger Trudeau with his face painted brown and wearing a turban. He was at a party with an Arabian theme. Some are saying this proves that he is racist. How are you supposed to look at a party with an Arabian theme? Were the organizers and others who attended racist? Were some of them Arabic?
Then there are the white actors who performed the role of Aladdin in movies. Should they be labelled racists?
CBC TV had a show explaining why it is insulting to darker-skinned people for those with white skin to try and look like them. Perhaps I should have watched it. Perhaps my black sister in law should have watched it too. My brown friend of many years as well. None of us can understand what all the fuss is about. Like many others, we think it is just another nasty political strategy.
Watch out for your skin. And watch out for climate change. It can darken your skin and it can lead to skin cancer.
Julie Ewashen | Creston