The Society of the [Racist] Spectacle?

Minister in 'racist circumcision outrage' - The Local

When I first went to the link above, I wasn’t immediately offended. My question was: what prompted the cutting of the cake of “the cutting of the cake”?

(I’ll wait.)

Then, I began reading more of the article and became offended, not at Liljeroth but at the artist, Makode Aj Linde. How dare HE take on the role of a woman being circumcised, in Black-face, no less? Who the hell does he think he is?

I fell for it. Damnit! I can’t believe I actually went that route. (Heavy sigh.) But if you can find his Facebook page, you will see that I wasn’t the only one. I checked out the comments regarding this work and found some very mixed responses, but most were negatively directed at Linde and/or Liljeroth.

But then, art should cause controversy or make you think, right? And at the very least, it should make you think about it after you have walked away from it.

So, I sat back down at my computer with a glass of merlot and put my feet up on the little leopard-print stool that I appropriated from my daughter (she doesn’t miss it – I’ve had it for over a year, now), and I started thinking about the installation because, after all, this was a performance piece, and I hadn’t actually seen the performance. And apparently, Sabuni had not seen the performance live.

Liljeroth states, “I was invited to speak at World Art Day about art’s freedom and the right to provoke. And then they wanted me to cut the cake.”

Did she volunteer? Did she say, “Let me cut into this Black woman’s cake (for those who’ve missed it – clitoris) and watch it bleed red-velvet”? No. She told Linde his life would be better after the performance. I am not privy to her motivation for the statement, but I suspect that she knew the performance would be talked about. And she was correct.

Is there racism in Sweden? I couldn’t tell ya – I’ve never been. But for Sabuni to respond so vehemently, he most definitely believes that there is racism in Sweden, since “In [his] view, this simply adds to the mockery of racism.” But, would a Black man mock racism? Seriously?

Ultimately, this is Linde’s work. Someone had to cut the cake, or the performance would not have reached fruition. Liljeroth was part of the performance. As the minister of culture and as a woman, there was no one better to cut the cake. And Linde was the voice of “the cake.”

So, I will go back to my point. Good art makes you think. You don’t have to like what it conjures up, but that it can cause this much controversy, Linde is getting his message to the masses. WOMEN CONTINUE TO BE MUTILATED THROUGH FEMALE CIRCUMCISION! How many of you didn’t know that this practice continues to this day?

Thank you, Makode Aj Linde, for daring to take on the role of a woman being circumcised, in Black-face, no less. Thank you, Adelsohn Liljeroth for your willingness to participate in so controversial a work. “As she laughs, drinks, and eats cake merely adds to the insult against people who suffer from racist taunts and against women affected by circumcision,” was the point, Mr. Sabuni.

Who the hell does Linde think he is? An artist with a message. Will his life be better after this as predicted by Liljeroth? Different is all that I can be sure of. I hope he continues to make art that provokes. If the audience can get past the cries of foul and “unclear” by the National Afro-Swedish Association, then the cries of women will soon be heard and hopefully, discussed.

Quote for the day: The medium is the message. Marshall McLuhan