SPOILER ALERT!!
I went to see Tyler Perry's film adaptation of Ntozake Shange's powerful choreopoem last night and thought his approach was good but also highly commercial and limited. Tyler Perry accepted a major challenge bringing For Colored Girls to the big screen and should be appreciated for that effort.
For Colored Girls was originally written in the mid-1970s so it deals with issues such as illegal abortions, Vietnam War veterans and timeless issues such as self-esteem, sexuality, post-traumatic stress disorder, religion, incest, rape, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, etc.
The original choreopoem consisted of about 20 choreographed monologues by women in various different colored outfits, (The Lady in Blue, The Lady in Red, The Lady in Brown, etc.)
It is interesting to go on the web and see all these posts written by people offended by the movie's title, most of these people seem to not understand three crucial points:
1. The movie title is an abbreviation of the choreopoem title
2. The original characters were not identified by name but by outfit color
3. Colored is a state of mind, where a lot of African Americans still reside
Now granted in American history the word colored does not just have negative connotations, however in reference to For Colored Girls I think the word colored refers to the characters low self-esteem, victimhood and often self-destructive behaviors. These women for the most part are presented as powerless or at least seeing themselves as powerless.
LET'S TALK
Questions this movie raised for me are what are we teaching our African Americans about womanhood in the 21st century?
What are African American attitudes toward sexuality?
How do we stop/prevent sexual violence against African American women and girls?
Please comment to the above questions.
Thank you!
Womanhood is is something that doesn't seem to have a real description. Once you try to define it, you limit what it can be, and it should be a force. And all real forces of nature move without boundaries. Womanhood is like nature. It encompasses everything. It touches everyone, and it is a symbol of life.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to think that all African Americans have a certain attitude toward anything because we are all individuals and have our own minds. But I would like to see more people embrace sex as something that is akin to love and instead of a sin. When you demonize something beautiful, all the products of it are suspected to be dirty as well. People will live in the closet with their dirty secrets allowing it to torture them and become something painful and violent. Being more open with conversations involving sex and not trying to proselytize a certain dogma is very important in making people think about what it is they are doing and why they do it.
Powerful statement and a wonderful and inspiring way to start my day. I see the greatest in my children and grandchildren.
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