Are there many ways to be black?
The canvas has been agitated for some days now. The fact that will Smith, a man of black skin whose fame goes above average, is to be commissioned to embody Richard, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, creates a surge of negative reactions on social networks. He is judged of very clear of skin to play the role of the champions’ father.
Some waved the notion of coherence and distance from reality, without denying his talent and his charisma as an actor. The debate is all the more curious that it is mainly powered by blacks. As if we haven’t had enough with racism. It still holds that between black, there is a differentiation with a dose of disproportionate anger.
Colourism in 2019? Seriously? For those who have never heard of it, it is a form of discrimination against blacks with dark skin. This is why Alek Wek or Khoudia Diop were highly accepted at an early age. Fortunately, they have proven that being of deep dark colour doesn’t mean anything when you have talent and human values to share. Unfortunately, these success stories do not say anything to social media unionists, who believe they have an opinion on everything. This new form of scholarship leads to hollow controversies like the one surrounding Will Smith’s next film.
This differentiation that popular imagery wants to impose is more complex than it seems. She suggests questioning what being black means today. And if the answer is that we share a story, a culture, an identity that creates fear or rejection in whites (in this case) or in Eastern and Western societies, then this controversy is unfounded. The cinema creates the dream. But what touches them are the stories and the way the characters tell them. A clear conclusion. As much as we are alike, each of us is unique. Even if they are alike, the twins always have physical details that distinguish them.
