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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT INTERNATIONAL

Every race is racist to black people – Tuface

Star singer, Tuface Idibia, has warned black people against inferiority complex, saying all races were racist to the black.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, he noted:

“ÒPEN ?YE” in pidgin English mean say u sabi oyibo thing and u dey live oyibo life. “ÒPEN ?YE” don wound us plenty. E make us think say London or yanky accent na intelligence. E make us think say our things na inferior. E make generally no like ourselves.

“We sabi oyibo tins pass oyibo. African leaders don give up. Them no get ideas again . Them just dey too proud to ask for young people to take over and help because them don shit for church too much. Every race is racist to black people. WHY?

“Until we get our own EDUCATION system plus our MEDIA system plus our AFRICAN POLICY system plus our RESOURCE CONTROL system plus our UNIFIED DEFENCE system We will never be independent and in control of African development.

“AFRICAN LIBERATION Is a serious problem for people who have wronged Africa and people who wish to continue 2 RAPE Africa. Local/foreign But AFRICA is so blessed that we don’t want revenge. We just want to live in peace. Enough things for all. But we must #UNWASHTHEBRAINWASH.”

Tuface Idibia, performed at the award

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Disney’s ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Aristocats’ get racism advisories

Classic Disney animated movies “Peter Pan,” “The Aristocrats” and “Dumbo” have been given content advisory notices warning viewers that they contain outdated or stereotyped depictions of people of colour.

“This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures,” the on screen advice reads.

“These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together,” it adds.

Disney said on its website that the advisories were part of a review of its library content.

The movie studio said that 1953 film “Peter Pan” refers to Native people as “redskins” and that the dancing in headdresses by Peter and the Lost Boys is a “form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples’ culture and imagery.”

For the 1970 film “The Aristocats,” the advisory refers to one of the felines, noting that it “sings in poorly accented English voiced by a white actor and plays the piano with chopsticks.”

Other movies dating back to the 1950s 1960s and 1970s with the new warning include “The Lady and the Tramp,” “Swiss Family Robinson,” and “The Jungle Book.”

Earlier this year, amid massive nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice, the Civil War era film “Gone With the Wind” was briefly pulled from the HBO Max streaming service.

It reappeared two weeks later with a commentary about the brutality of slavery.

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NEWS & LIFE SPORTS

Premier League teams to have ‘No Room For Racism’ badge on shirts

Premier League said on Thursday that players and match officials will wear a “No Room For Racism” badge on their shirts for the entirety of the 2020-21 season.

It would replace the “Black Lives Matter” logo that previously appeared on kits.

The “Black Lives Matter” logo appeared on kits for all the games following the COVID-19 break last season and the league said it will support players who ‘take a knee’ at matches to highlight racial injustice.

“We, our clubs, players and match officials have a long-standing commitment to tackling discrimination,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in a statement.

“ Players…have a strong voice on this matter, which we saw last season.

“We have continued to talk and listen to players on this issue and will support them as well as continuing to emphasise the Premier League’s position against racism.

“Discrimination in any form, anywhere is wholly unacceptable and ‘No Room For Racism’ makes our zero-tolerance stance clear.

“We’ll not stand still on this important issue and we’ll continue to work with our clubs, players and partners to address all prejudiced behaviour.”

The new Premier League season will begin on Saturday.

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SPORTS

Football must take ‘giant leap’ to fight racism – Neville

Former England international, Gary Neville, says words are not enough to combat racism in football and that he is “ashamed” he did not fight harder against it when he was a player.

The former Manchester United defender made the comments in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

“Forget campaigns. Forget words. It has to be actions,” Neville said ahead of the Premier League’s restart on Wednesday following a three-month stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We need to take a giant leap rather than minute steps each year.

“I’m not going to hide away from it. We need education, we need protocols and processes in place which basically reverse what’s been happening in our country.”

Neville said he should have fought harder against racism during his playing days.

“The reality is we put racial abuse in the same category as the abuse we would receive for playing for Manchester United or England. We didn’t think. We just got on with it,” the 45-year-old said.

“It’s appalling and I’m ashamed of the fact for someone who … fought for players’ rights at nearly every level, I didn’t fight hard enough on this.”

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INTERNATIONAL

22 UN officials condemn systemic racism in U.S.

Twenty-two senior United Nations officials have issued a joint statement condemning “pervasive and systemic racism” in the United States and beyond.

The officials, who are Africans or of African descent, urged authorities and the international community to “go beyond and do more” than just condemning the act.

Among the signatories are the Director-General, World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, and the Executive-Director, Joint UN AIDS Programme, Winnia Byanyima, the UN said in a report on Sunday.

The statement comes amid massive protests in major cities across the U.S. and around the against racism.

The protests were sparked by the death of an African American, George Floyd, after a white police officer knelt on his neck in the U.S. city of Minneapolis on May 25.

The UN officials’s position came a few days after the Secretary-General, António Guterres, said employees of the organisation were free to protest in private capacity.

Guterres’ clarification was in response to complaints by staff over a guidance issued earlier by the UN Ethics Office that warned them against demonstrations.

“I also want to be clear about the recent guidance issued by the Ethics Office and relevant departments,” he said in an internal memo.

“It does not in any way indicate that staff are to remain neutral or impartial in the face of racism.

“To the contrary, there is no ban on personal expressions of solidarity or acts of peaceful civic engagement, provided they are carried out in an entirely private capacity.”

The UN officials said their expression of solidarity with the peaceful demonstrations was in line with their “responsibilities and obligations as international civil servants to stand up and speak out against oppression”.

“As leaders we share the core beliefs and the values and principles enshrined in the Charter of the UN that do not leave us the option to keep silent,” they said.

Referencing Floyd’s last words while pleading for breathing space, the UN officials said they conveyed the “deep trauma and inter-generational suffering” from racial injustice, particularly against people of African descent

“A desperate yearning for a long-departed mother,” the said in reference to Floyd’s cry to his late mother for help.

“Reaching deep from the bowels of fragile humanity. Grasping for breath. Begging for mercy. The entire world heard the tragic cry”.

They said it was time for authorities to go beyond simply condemning acts of racism, which they described as a “global scourge that has been perpetuated over centuries”.

The officials also called on the UN to “step up and act decisively to help end systemic racism against people of African descent and other minority groups”, according to to the report.(

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INTERNATIONAL

Protestors in German cities form human chains to rally against racism

Protestors in Berlin, Hamburg and several other German cities on Sunday protested against racism and social inequality and linked up to create human chains of solidarity.

Some 8,000 people gathered in Berlin, according to police.

The event’s organisers said more than 20,000 people had attended.

Many wore protective face masks and stayed a distance away from one another in line with virus regulations.

Carrying ribbons they held at each end, the protestors formed a colourful human chain of solidarity between the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate and the Neukoelln neighbourhood, nine kilometres away.

The protestors held signs saying “Black Lives Matter” and “More money for education”.

The rally was organised under the hashtag Unteilbar which means “indivisible”.

A group of “Grannies against the right” gathered at the Brandenburg Gate, wearing protective face masks, with some in pink knitted hats.

Others wrote in chalk, “The earth is also your mother” on the ground.

Berlin’s Police praised the demonstrators for following health regulations, calling the organisers’ approach sustainable.

“You can see people are making sure to follow virus prevention rules,’’ said Police spokesman, Thilo Cablitz.

In the northern city of Hamburg, Police said 840 people formed a similar human chain using ribbon, maintaining social distancing while linking together.

They connected the city hall near the Binnenalster Lake with the main train station.

Anti-racism demonstrations were also held in Leipzig, where 1,400 people attended and several other German cities including Freiburg, Chemnitz, Detmold, Plauen, Muenster and Passau.

A rally was cancelled in the eastern city of Erfurt after a weather warning.

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NEWS & LIFE SPORTS

Arsenal players must act as role models to fight racism – Leno

Arsenal goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, has called on his team mates to act as role models for racial equality.

This is in the wake of the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while detaining him on May 25.

Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder.

Several Premier League clubs have shown their support for protests against racism and police brutality.

“We as players have so many people looking up to us as idols. We have to show as Arsenal that we support you,” the 28-year-old Leno told Sky Sports.

“It is sad in 2020 we are still discussing these things but this is the reality and we have to keep pushing on this.

“It doesn’t matter if you are black or white. We have to respect each other and everybody should have the same chances in life.”

The Premier League on Friday approved a proposal for player surnames to be replaced with the words “Black Lives Matter” on the back of their shirts as a tribute to the anti-racism movement.

Arsenal, who are in ninth place, face a trip to Manchester City on June 17 when the Premier League resumes after a three-month pause, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

U.S. theatre accused of exploiting, excluding people of colour

Viola Davis, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Cynthia Erivo joined some 300 actors and playwrights on Tuesday in decrying racism in the U.S. theatre world, saying it has exploited, excluded and diminished people of colour.

In an open letter addressed to “Dear White American Theatre,” the signatories complained of tokenism, prioritising white theatre for white audiences, and a failure to make promised changes in programming or leadership.

The letter follows a national reckoning in the U.S. about systemic racism, sparked by the death of African American George Floyd under the knee of a white police officer last month.

Floyd’s funeral, broadcast nationwide, took place on Tuesday in Houston, Texas, after two weeks of street protests around the world.

“We have watched you use our BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of colour) faces on your brochures, asking us to politely shuffle at your galas, talkbacks, panels, board meetings, and donor dinners, in rooms full of white faces,” the letter said.

It was addressed not just to theatre owners and theatre companies but also to critics, casting directors, agents, labour unions and university training programmes.

“We have watched you exploit us, shame us, diminish us, and exclude us. We see you,” it said, adding that in spite of holding anti-racism workshops, few changes are made to theatre programmes or leadership.

“This is a house that will not stand. This ends TODAY,” the letter said.

It was accompanied by a change.org petition demanding reforms in the theatre that by late Tuesday had been signed by almost 50,000 people.

Others signing included “This is Us” star Sterling K. Brown, “Pose” star Billy Porter, playwright Lynn Nottage, “Black Panther” actress Danai Gurira, and “Orange is the New Black” Emmy winner Uzo Aduba.

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INTERNATIONAL

Tens of thousands rally across Germany to protest against racism

Tens of thousands of protesters took part in demonstrations in major German cities on Saturday to protest against racism and police violence following the killing of George Floyd.

Police estimated around 15,000 people flooded into Berlin’s central Alexanderplatz square, with officers taking to Twitter 45 minutes in to declare the square “full” and to ask people to stop arriving.

Only 1,500 participants had been registered for the event, which police said was ended voluntarily by organizers after several hours.

Police said early on Sunday that 93 people were detained and 28 police officials were injured, three of whom were taken to hospital.

Around 800 officers were on duty.

After the peaceful demonstration, violence broke out near Alexanderplatz station – stones and bottles were thrown at police after a man was arrested for damage to a police vehicle.

Other arrests had been made for trespassing, resisting and assaulting law enforcement officers, attempted release of prisoners, and violating anti-infection laws, during the coronavirus pandemic, police said.

Officers earlier called on attendees to maintain social distancing and wear face masks to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Police also asked protesters to spill over into adjacent streets to maintain safe distancing.

Aerial photographs shared on social media showed large crowds dressed in black and carrying banners supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

Organizers’ calls for a silent demonstrations to pay tribute to Floyd, an unarmed African-American man killed by a U.S. police officer last week, circulated online in recent days.

Demonstrators in the German capital, among them many young people, observed a silence lasting 8 minutes and 46 seconds, representing the time it took for Floyd to lose consciousness as the officer knelt on his neck.

Another 20,000 people attended a rally in the southern city of Munich, police said, 10 times the 200 participants registered beforehand, the central city of Frankfurt saw 8,000 people.

The demonstrations were largely peaceful, with a few minor incidents.

In the northern city of Hamburg, where 14,000 people had turned out, police said three officers were injured in an altercation with a group of protesters throwing pyrotechnics at the end of the event.

In a separate incident, officers said they had deployed water cannon against protesters, who they said were throwing objects at them.

In Berlin, police said they made a number of arrests after a group of demonstrators threw bottles and stones at officers.

One officer was injured. In a separate incident, a press photographer was hit in the head by a bottle, police added.

A number of social media users criticized protesters for images that appeared to show them flouting social distancing requirements put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Police in Munich said they repeatedly warned demonstrators to keep to social distancing rules, “which were often not observed at the beginning,” a spokesperson told dpa.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn expressed concern about dense crowds during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The fight against racism needs our common commitment. Every day”, Spahn wrote on Twitter on Saturday evening.

“But crowds of people in the middle of the pandemic worry me….Keep your distance, wear a mask, take care of each other. To protect us and others,” he added.

A graphic video of Floyd’s killing has convulsed public opinion around the world and sparked nightly protests across the U.S.

Washington was expected to see its largest protest yet on Saturday.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Racism, tribalism: Banky W urges more than tweeting

Popular singer, Banky W, has urged folks to show active interest in making changes in society.

Against the backdrop of the killing of Black American George Floyd by a white cop, he reflected that killings were everywhere, including Nigeria.

The vices, he said in an online post on Thursday, demanded more than passive responses.

He noted:

“Bad news everywhere, all the time. It’s exhausting. My only suggestion: please try and DO something to make your part of the world a little better. Be part of SOMETHING GOOD that is bigger than yourself. Volunteer, donate, serve. Do something. Anything. Please.

“So much darkness. So much violence and hatred. We’ve heard of people being killed so much, we’ve become numb to it. Different day, different victims, same story, same hashtags. “Thoughts and Prayers for… (insert victim or city name here). #BlackLivesMatter #RIPGeorgeFloyd

“This world is exhausting. In America, it’s racism – white cops killing unarmed black people. In Nigeria, where we share the same skin colour, it’s tribalism & genocide. Every other week there’s another story of mass murder; Kaduna today, Jos tomorrow. So much hatred. I am tired.

Floyd being pinned down

“#DontJustTweet Be a part of something that is bigger than yourself.. something that means more than your personal chase for success. Volunteer/Donate/Serve… somewhere/someone/anywhere/anyone in need. Play your part in putting some good back in this world. Tweets are not enough.”