12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Thursday, April 1, 2021

oung Moroccan cartoonist Zainab Stifling talent Fasiki draws on a whiteboard in a Fasiki says she was unable to find a YCasablanca studio where she is local publisher for “Hshouma”, and the holding a workshop that mixes art with a book’s first edition was instead published homegrown illustrated #MeToo cam- in Paris in 2019. Florent Massot, her paign. “We are here to change this rape French publisher, told AFP the book had culture, which says the victim deserves had “good sales” in Morocco. “Zainab is what they get while the criminal is inno- very courageous,” he said. “She is cent,” says Fasiki, 26, her eyes flashing always very positive even though she with indignation. A dozen students and gets insulted a lot on social media.” Fasiki professionals have joined forces with is preparing for an exhibition at a contem- Fasiki, a pioneer in comics and illustration porary art museum in Tetouan, and will in Morocco, in response to a web series also be teaching at a fine arts school in titled #TaAnaMeToo that depicts the northern Moroccan city. women’s real-life ordeals. She says she is looking forward to As part of the series-”Ta ana” means countering “artists who preach against “Me Too” in Moroccan Arabic dialect-she Zainab Fasiki, a Moroccan cartoonist and activist for women’s Zainab Fasiki, a Moroccan cartoonist and activist for women’s artistic nudity”, and wants to “develop the illustrated the harrowing testimony of a rights, poses with her latest book entitled ‘Hshouma’ in the western rights, attends a workshop in the western Moroccan coastal city of female presence in art”. First and fore- 22-year-old woman who for years was Moroccan coastal city of Casabalanca. — AFP photos Casabalanca. most, that requires helping girls “escape raped by her brother, to the indifference the control of their family”, says Fasiki, of her parents. Unlike in the broader campaign has elicited. “Choose a nega- North African country. “There is a culture Fasiki became known on social media adding that she was influenced by #MeToo movement, the Moroccan tive comment and respond to it,” Fasiki where men correct women, keep an eye for her nude self-portraits and for illustra- French feminist writer Simone de women who have agreed to share their says, as the group gets to work on tablets on them-it’s a patriarchal system,” she tions showing “the female body as it is, Beauvoir and her seminal work “The stories for the campaign have preferred or with paper and pencil. Fasiki, who says. “Men treat us as if we weren’t without taboos”. Her book “Hshouma” Second Sex”. “When I started to publish to remain anonymous. Series producer calls herself an “artivist” (an artist and humans who are responsible for our (modesty) — a term she says covers “the (my work) on social media, my family told Youssef Ziraoui says rape victims in activist), says art is “a major instrument of choices.” She is pushing through her culture of shame” around women’s bod- me, ‘either you stop or we don’t consider Morocco not only have to deal with a change”. “Images have power, particular- illustrations for “changes to laws written ies in Morocco-took her to a wider audi- you a member of the family anymore’,” sense of “shame” and the risk of being ly on social media.” by men, for men, to control women’s bod- ence, in a country where sex education is she says. But she was undeterred. “This cast out by their families, but can face ies”, she adds. The self-taught Fasiki also taboo. “Some feminists think that type of control over children, who are charges for sex before marriage under ‘Revolution, resistance’ says her artistic training involved reading drawing the naked female form doesn’t doing nothing wrong apart from living Moroccan law if they go to the police. The illustrator, her dark hair cropped in comics as a child, drawing in her bed- serve the cause,” she says. “I think it’s a their passion, has destroyed thousands The participants in the Casablanca a short bob, says she became a feminist room as an adolescent, and “meeting revolution-a form of resistance in the face of talents,” she says. — AFP workshop are looking for creative come- at age 14, when she began to feel that authors at comics festivals” when she of a patriarchy-based history.” backs to some of the toxic reactions the often “being a woman is a sin” in the was old enough to travel.

ext month’s pandemic-affected Recent award shows including Oscars ceremony will include ven- February’s Golden Globes have been Nues in the United Kingdom and slammed for their heavy use of remote France for international nominees unable calling for nominees, particularly after the to travel to Los Angeles, sources familiar start of Daniel Kaluuya’s acceptance with the plan told AFP Tuesday. While speech for best supporting actor briefly Oscars presenters will remain at the previ- lost audio. Oscars producers have spoken ously announced main location in down- of their desire for a ceremony that “will town Los Angeles’ Union Station-just a look like a movie, not a television show,” short drive from Hollywood-producers are promising a spectacular introduction and “planning something special” for the planning to film proceedings in high-defin- British “central hub,” one source said. ition, widescreen format. tives hard at work in France, Spain, ‘Game of Thrones’ Another “satellite hub” is planned for Paris. Germany and Italy. “When we think about The Academy Awards-the biggest and ‘The virtual thing’ European content we’re really thinking final night of Hollywood’s sprawling award The 93rd Academy Awards will take about: ‘Okay, what is a show that’s going play in the works season-had faced growing criticism after place on April 25, concluding a much- to be huge in France that our French producers earlier this month said no video delayed Hollywood awards season. members will love? What is a German calls would be allowed for those unwilling Organizers are still urging all nominees show that our German members will for 2023 or unable to attend in person. Eight of the who are able to attend the Los Angeles love?” said Larry Tanz, who oversees nominated actors this year are British, ceremony in person to do so, and have ame of Thrones” is headed to Netflix’s original programming for Europe. including 83-year-old Anthony Hopkins for asked attendees to observe a 10-day “And what we find is, not to oversimplify, Broadway, its production “The Father”-a play adaptation about quarantine during which they will be upin”, a French reboot set in is that shows often fall into two cate- “Gteam announced Tuesday, dementia written by French director asked to avoid crowds, gyms and restau- postcard Paris, has made gories. There’s the very local shows ... with plans to bring key characters from Florian Zeller, who is also nominated for rants. The night will feature extensive Omar Sy a global star and ful- like ‘Love and Anarchy’ in Sweden ... and the wildly successful cult series to the his screenplay. Covid-19 testing precautions for nominees “L filled a long-lost dream for Europeans: then you have shows like ‘Barbarians’ or stage in 2023. George R.R. Martin, author Under the previous plans, all nominees and their guests. the confidence to take on Hollywood. But, ‘Casa de Papel’ or ‘The Crown’ with a of the literary saga that started it all, is would have been required to travel to “We are going to great lengths to pro- in a devilish twist worthy of the gentleman broader potential.” collaborating on the theatrical piece with California despite facing potential travel vide a safe and enjoyable evening for all thief himself, the leap forward for The Netflix model is radically different British playwright Duncan MacMillan and restrictions, lengthy quarantine require- of you in person, as well as for all the mil- European productions comes thanks to from old Hollywood, in which the major director Dominic Cooke. The play will ments and the inherent risks of flying dur- lions of film fans around the world, and we Netflix, a quintessentially American suc- studios would unleash their blockbusters take place during “a pivotal moment in ing a pandemic-or face being left out of feel the virtual thing will diminish those cess story. Netflix is investing massively or TV series with no interest in setting up the history of the series,” read a state- the show entirely. With the new policy, efforts,” wrote the producers in a letter to to become a global television player, but shop. Netflix, on the other hand, wants to ment from the team, which includes pro- satellite links will now be provided for inter- nominees two weeks ago. —AFP when it comes to making shows in be seen as local. “You go from some- ducers Simon Painter, Tim Lawson and national nominees around the world who Europe, the company, along with rivals body sitting in Los Angeles, getting a Jonathan Sanford, who presented “The have no way of getting to Los Angeles- Disney Plus and Amazon Prime, actually script that has to be translated and they Illusionists” on Broadway in 2014. although video calling will still be kept to a has no choice. make a decision there, to where we are “Our dream is to bring Westeros to minimum. Broadway, to the West End, to Since 2018, a European Union rule now, which is an executive sitting in Paris, Australia... and eventually, to a stage has dictated that platforms offer their sub- gets the script in French ... and the deci- near you,” Martin said in a statement, scribers at least 30 percent European sion to make that show is made in Paris,” referring to the fictional world where the content, and that they invest in local Tanz said. One of those executives in tales take place. Martin said work on the shows. And, while the Netflix revolution is Paris is Damien Couvreur, who said project began before the pandemic. The mostly welcomed, this brave new world of Netflix wanted to send the signal “that we saga’s defining moment that will under- binge watching and algorithmic program were willing to commit and find our seat pin the play is the Harrenhal tournament, guides has triggered soul-searching at the table of the French industry”. which is to have taken place roughly 17 among Europe’s creators. “We’re trying not to replicate what’s years before the first season of the HBO already available,” he added. Netflix is series. The production is to feature Greenlit in Paris looking for the unique and authentic, he “many of the most iconic and well-known According to the company, Netflix has said.—AFP characters” from the books and the 100 films and series in various stages of production across the European Union series, which came out over eight sea- In this file photo the main entrance of Union Station in Los Angeles, where part of the 2021 with production teams and senior execu- sons from 2011 to 2019.—AFP Oscars Ceremony will take place. — AFP

omnipresent in the show’s custom-built a World Cup or the Olympics,” said pandemic, which forced the broadcaster Breaking the contestant mold villa-turned-national fishbowl, where con- Laurens Drillich, president of Endemol to halt production on its signature telen- This year, the show is being broadcast ‘Big Brother’ still testants have been filmed around the Shine Latino, the Latin American division ovelas and resort to reruns of greatest to a deeply divided country, riven by two clock by 11 cameras since January 25. of the production company that created hits. “It works because it’s a reality show years of non-stop confrontation under far- Three 30-second commercial spots are “Big Brother” in the Netherlands in 1999. that manages to plug directly into the right President Jair Bolsonaro and a pan- huge in Brazil, all it takes for Globo to cover the prize And just like when Brazil score a big goal Brazilian tradition of telenovelas, which demic that has claimed more than money awarded the eventual winner: 1.5 in a World Cup match, BBB fans regularly have always reflected the country’s reality 300,000 lives in Brazil while exacerbating million reais ($260,000). But beyond the burst into celebration in front of their TV at any given time,” said Michel its inequalities. At such a deeply polar- 21 seasons on numbers, BBB is a veritable institution in screens when a favorite contestant is Alcoforado, an anthropologist and ized time, “BBB has revived a national Brazil, one whose many fans-including saved from eviction. founder of the consumer research con- conversation on fundamental issues for world-famous celebrities such as Neymar “We have a passionate audience that sultancy Consumoteca. “You can’t under- society such as racism, machismo or razilian TV is perhaps best known and singer Anitta-react in real time on is enthralled by every episode. We see stand BBB without understanding the ‘B’ LGBT rights, which had disappeared for its “telenovelas,” but another social media to every episode. people celebrating from their windows for Brazil.” Unlike a telenovela, however, from dinner table discussions,” Bkind of show has been captivating and balconies across the country, and BBB has a democratic element, with the Alcoforado told AFP. The show wasn’t the country and holding a mirror up to its ‘Like a World Cup’ that motivates us to put the show out sev- audience empowered to vote on who always a platform for discussing diversity. changing face for 21 seasons: reality “When Big Brother Brazil comes along en nights a week,” said the series direc- remains in the house and choose the “All the contestants used to have simi- franchise “Big Brother Brazil.” “BBB,” as each year, everyone watches the same tor, Rodrigo Dourado. BBB has been a eventual winner. lar profiles: guys with big muscles and it is affectionately known, is a cultural thing, and gets to talk about it, much like life raft for Globo during the coronavirus women straight from a magazine cover,” phenomenon in Brazil, with extensive said Felipe Oliveira, a contestant on media coverage devoted to every twist BBB’s eighth edition who now works at and a national conversation that has ID_BR, an organization that promotes drawn in politicians, celebrities and even racial equality in the workplace. “BBB’s football superstar Neymar, who regularly strength is that it managed to reinvent stays up late in France tweeting about the itself. Society has changed over the past show. The nightly series has an average 20 years, and BBB knew how to keep up audience of 40 million viewers this sea- with the trend,” added Oliveira, 34. son-up 5.1 million from last year-and 50- “When I was on the show, I probably percent audience share for its time slot, spent more than an hour talking about just after the religiously followed telenov- affirmative action. But they edited it out. ela, or prime-time soap opera, on TV Today, they maximize that kind of thing, Globo, Brazil’s largest broadcaster. like when Gil (a current contestant) spoke Branded the “Biggest of the Bigs,” the out against homophobia”-one of many 21st season is set to be the longest yet, viral moments from “BBB21.”— AFP with 100 episodes-and also the most lucrative. Sponsors’ logos are Handout photos released in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by O Globo TV shows contestants from Brazil’s Big Brother (BBB) reality television show.