How did Disney get Moana so right and Maui so wrong?

Image copyrightDISNEY

Image captionSome people have been annoyed by the portrayal of the demigod Maui as fat, saying it is stereotypical

A forthcoming Disney movie tells the story of Moana, a Polynesian girl who teams up with demi-god Maui to save her people. But some people have said the film and its merchandise are appropriating Samoan culture.

Arieta Rika, who founded a website called Talanoa as a home for Pacific stories, told the BBC how she wants her culture to be celebrated.

As a Pacific person, I can't tell you how excited I am to see this movie. Seeing faces that look like mine, telling a story that relates to me. I just don't have the words.

I haven't felt this excited about a Disney film in decades.

I am excited that the film has given a voice to many Pacific people who might have otherwise gone unheard when discussing issues about culture, people and place in the context of the Pacific and our stories.

It has also raised important questions about cultural appropriation and misappropriation. Is Disney doing it right?

Is there a way to celebrate Moana and Pacific culture, without offending Pacific people?

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What is Moana?

• The second Disney film set in the Pacific Islands (after Lilo and Stitch, set in Hawaii)
• The story of a Polynesian girl who teams up with a Samoan demi-god Maui to go on a quest and save her people
• Maui - voiced by Dwayne Johnson, stage name The Rock - is based on a Polynesian legend
• According to myth, Maui created the Pacific Islands by fishing them from the sea
• He is a hero and spiritual guide to many Samoans
• Some say portraying him as fat is unfair and stereotypical
• I've yet to watch the movie, but so far, it looks like Disney has applied four important aspects of Pacific culture: awareness, context, relationship and respect.

  This week, Disney released a children's costume for Maui, a character in the Moana film. I get it - Disney knows and appreciates that children across the world will fall in love with Maui, and like many other Disney characters, they'll want nothing more than to look exactly like him.

  Image copyrightDISNEY

  On paper, it seems like a pretty logical decision to create a costume.

  There is not much to work with in terms of clothes though, as he only wears a grass skirt and a necklace made of shells. Hence the final product that Disney released - a body suit with brown skin, tattoos, Maui's necklace, and a grass skirt.

  Disney accused of 'brownface' over Maui costume

  In reality, it has offended many Pacific people. I understand the reasoning behind the grass skirt and the necklace, but the brown skin is too far, and the tattoos are culturally misappropriated.

  Tattoos are deeply meaningful to Pacific people. Like a fingerprint, a tattoo is unique to each person.

  Our markings tell a personal story that we carry with us on our skin, everywhere we go - constantly reminding us of our values, our people, and our identity.

  Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

  Image captionTattoos are personal and individual in Pacific Islander culture

  It is considered taboo and extremely disrespectful in many Pacific cultures to wear the markings of a people or place that you are not spiritually or physically connected to. After the release of Moana, Maui may be a Disney character to some, but to many Pacific people, he is very real - a hero, ancestor, demi-God and a spiritual guide.

  Even for Pacific people who don't believe in Maui, replicating a Polynesian tattoo and offering it to children for a price is belittling and trivializing an intimate aspect of Pacific people and culture.

  The rise of the Maori tribal tattoo

  Knowing this, Disney could have reconsidered their decision to include tattoos on Maui's costume. That would have also eliminated the need for the brown skin body suit that many consider "brownface". They also would have anticipated the backlash from Pacific people who interpret their decision as inappropriate and disrespectful at best - and at worst, a way to make money from a particularly significant aspect of Pacific culture.

  Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

  Image captionLike the New Zealand team, Samoa's rugby players do the haka

  You need not be a Pacific person to enjoy and respect Moana, Maui and Pacific culture. Many Pacific people welcome questions. Taking initiative and starting these conversations creates trust, shows respect and ultimately, could be the start of a meaningful relationship between you and Pacific culture, and a Pacific person.

  In the meantime, I will be eagerly waiting for the release of Moana. If anything, I appreciate the opportunity it is giving me and many other Pacific people to share our thoughts, our opinions, and our stories.

  After all, having these conversations on a global scale is important, and it is what I and many Pacific people who have gone before me have been waiting for, for centuries.

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  Samoa

  • One of the Pacific Islands, thousands of miles from Australia's eastern coast
  • Made up of volcanic islands
  • Population: 185,000

  Read more: Samoa

  

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Syria war: John Kerry urges planes to be grounded

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionBombing in and around Aleppo continued on Tuesday night

In a blistering speech at the United Nations, John Kerry said the future of Syria was "hanging by a thread".The US Secretary of State has called for all planes to be grounded in key areas of Syria to save the truce there, following an attack on an aid convoy.

He said Monday's attack, which killed 20 civilians, had raised profound doubt over whether Russia and the Syrian government would live up to terms of the ceasefire deal.

Moscow has denied being involved.

The Russian defence ministry now says a US drone was in the area where the aid convoy was struck.

Gen Igor Konashenkov said a Predator strike drone appeared above the convoy several minutes before it caught fire, and left the area 30 minutes later.

"We are not jumping to unfounded conclusions. Only its owners know why the drone was in the area at the right time and what kind of tasks it was pursuing there," the general said.

He did not directly accuse the US of firing on the aid convoy from a drone but pointedly said that such a drone could carry out high-precision strikes against targets on the ground.

His comments follow Mr Kerry's declaration that Russia should stand up and take responsibility for air strikes, criticising Russia's defence ministry for changing its story.

He said he felt like Russia was in "a parallel universe" after listening to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov address the council.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionThe UN says at least 18 trucks in the convoy were destroyed in the bombing

The UN says it has resumed preparation for convoys of aid to Syria and hopes to deliver aid to besieged and hard-to-reach areas as soon as possible.

Monday's attack prompted the UN to suspend all aid convoys to those areas.

'Heavy blow'

Mr Kerry said flights should stop "in order to de-escalate the situation and give a chance for humanitarian assistance to flow unimpeded".

The attack had "dealt a heavy blow to our efforts to bring peace to Syria," he said.

A further attack on Tuesday night killed five medical workers for an international aid agency.

A partial truce brokered by the US and Russia lasted just a week.

Heavy air raids have continued in Syria, especially in and around Aleppo.

Speaking after the UN Security Council meeting, UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said "the overwhelming responsibility for the breaches in the ceasefire that we have seen lies with the Assad regime and indeed its sponsors".

But he said, the peace process that led to the truce could be revived.

Syria's five-year civil war has left more than 250,000 people dead and displaced more than 11 million others.

Analysis: by Jonathan Marcus, Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News

Secretary of State John Kerry's proposal that all aircraft should be prohibited from flying over certain areas of Syria so that humanitarian aid can be delivered unhindered probably falls short of a formal no-fly zone.

Who for example might police such a zone?

Would aircraft intruding into it be shot down, and if so by whom? Managing such small parcels of air space could also be a problem - any aircraft flying into them could be many miles away in a very short space of time.

Mr Kerry's idea though is probably to be seen more as a declaratory policy: an attempt to get the Russians and Syrians - the only people likely to fly aircraft that might strike targets in these zones - to formally acknowledge that they will not do so.

Nigeria will soon become most attractive investment destination – Buhari

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Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in New York, has assured potential investors that Nigeria would soon be one of the most attractive places to invest as his administration has embarked on significant economic reforms.

The President gave this assurance to a large gathering of political and business leaders from the U.S., Africa and other regions of the world at the Second U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports  that the forum was organised by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Nigerian leader said that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, will soon come out with  wide-ranging business environment reforms on ports, visa-on arrival, improving the speed and efficiency of land titling,business registration among others. Other fiscal incentives he noted, include, up to five years tax holiday for activities classified as “pioneer;” tax-free operations; no restrictions on expatriate quotas in Free Trade Zones; and a low VAT regime of  five per cent. “We intend to make Nigeria one of the most attractive places to do business,” he declared, even as he noted that Nigeria remains the number one investment destination in Africa. Buhari added that his administration will continue to strengthen government institutions in order to address the concerns of investors and ease investments in the Nigerian economy. “We are weaning ourselves from a historical dependence on crude oil, diversifying our economy, and putting it on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth. To this end, we have embarked on policies aimed at establishing an open, rules-based and market-oriented economy. We will continue to actively engage with the private sector at the highest levels to listen to your concerns and to assure you of our commitment to creating enabling policies in which your businesses can survive and thrive,” Buhari said. He urged participants to “take advantage of this Forum to establish and strengthen business relationships, share valuable experience and collaborate for mutual benefits.” Buhari, while stressing that enormous potential exists for foreign investment and for the local economy, he listed sectors which have barely been exploited to include Nigeria’s 1’70-million population and abundance of labour; arable land; forest waters; oil and gas; solid minerals; livestock and huge tourist potential.

According to him, “These are no doubt challenging times for the Nigerian economy. “But let me use this opportunity to boldly affirm our conviction that there is no crisis without an accompanying opportunity. “In our case, we see Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges – occasioned mainly by the fall in oil prices – as an opportunity to set the economy firmly on the path of true diversification, sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity,” he noted. The President said that the reform measures taken by his administration since inception in 2015, have started yielding fruits especially in the areas of security, anti-corruption and revamping the economy. He said the priority investment sectors for his administration now are improving infrastructure, industrial productivity, agriculture, mining and digital economy where young Nigerians are increasingly demonstrating that they have the talent and the passion to leverage. On U.S.-Nigeria business relations, he announced the commencement of the U.S.-Nigeria Commercial and Investment Dialogue with a focus on infrastructure, agriculture, digital economy, investment and regulatory reform to be jointly led by the Nigerian Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and his US counterpart. The President said that with this Business Forum, he looked forward to increased trade and investment flows between Nigeria and the U.S.

IPOB’s threat forces Bishops to flee Anambra

IPOB Members

THE five- day standing committee of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, ended abruptly in Awka Wednesday following the sit-at-home threat by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. The meeting, attended by 170 Bishops from all the Dioceses in the country, was the highest decision-making gathering of the church and would have ended on Friday.
According to the IPOB threat, all markets, banks and other institutions would be shut and movement restricted in the entire South East geo-political zone.



There were visible signs Wedenesday in the state of security beef up in various parts of the state. Primate of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Reverend Nicolas Okoh, who expressed concern over the IPOB order, had earlier pleaded with the group to allow the Bishops leave the state, arguing that the order would adversely affect their departure if carried out. He said: “IPOB threatened to shut down markets and other institutions and restrict movement in the entire South East.

 We are not delving into the reasons for their agitation, but we are asking them to wait until we leave Awka on Friday. “ If they go ahead to carry out that order, we may be trapped in Anambra as the Niger Bridge is the only exit route from Anambra State for most of the Bishops. So, people should help us beg them to allow us to go.” Though Wednesday was the official opening day for the meeting, the Bishops decided to leave the state immediately so as not to be caught in the web of IPOB planned Friday programme. One of the Bishops from the Northern part of the country said “We are human and so we had to put our heads together and that is why we decided to cut short the conference. “That is the most ideal thing to do in the circumstance. I will leave this evening and most others will do same. Those who cannot make it today (yesterday) will do so early tomorrow.

There is no need waiting; it doesn’t make sense.” Following the decision, the Bishops hurriedly issued a statement appealing to the Niger Delta militants to stop the bombing of oil facilities in their region in the interest of the country. They also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to convene a roundtable meeting between government and the agitators in order to address their grievances. They, however, reminded the militants that shutting down the economy of the country would not do anybody any good. Delivering his address at the meeting earlier, the Primate appealed to the federal government to disarm the Fulani herdsmen who, he noted, had murdered the peace of the country. His address read in part: “The Standing Committee wishes to make a passionate appeal to the militants to spare our economy and stop the bombing of oil facilities. “Shutting down the economy is like pulling down the roofs with all of us inside; nobody will escape the negative impact.

 We equally call on those who can reach them to join in this appeal for the greater good of all. “The presence of herdsmen in our countryside is not new, they have always been around. What is, however, new are the unprovoked attacks on their host communities and sometimes saying that cow is missing. “They lay ambush and waylay people going to their farms, rape women and destroy farmlands; and their victims are at their mercy because they are armed. “We call on the federal government to immediately disarm these people to return Nigeria to a state of peace.” “Our roads are in bad condition all across the country.

Since our major means of transport is road, we call on the federal government to give the required attention to the roads to reduce the inconveniences, accidents and deaths. “Airlines operating in the country are going through difficult times, some have grounded operations. No doubt, we need them. “We therefore call on the federal government to expedite action on floating the national carrier or rejuvenate the private ones to enable them perform better. “Further in this area is the persistent scarcity of aviation fuel which has troubled the country, disrupted many programmes, including those of government and private. “We call on government to solve the problem of aviation fuel permanently so that people can move about their businesses with less difficulty within the country.” Okoh commended Governor Willie Obiano for promoting religious harmony in the state, as well as prompt payment of workers’ salaries at a time many states were unable to do so. He also congratulated the governor and the people of the state on the 25th anniversary of the creation of the state, assuring that the bond between the church and the state government would continue to grow stronger. “I thank the governor because he always identifies with us. The religious climate in Anambra is now tension -free.

He does not discriminate in his appointments and we are grateful to him. “We heard that he is one of the few governors that pay salaries and we say, please don’t relent because the church depends on the generosity of the members for the execution of its projects”, the Primate further said.

Indecent dressing: LASU issues warning letters to 84 students

The Students Affairs Division of the Lagos State University has published a list of 84 Students for indecent dressing.

The University Official bulletin obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos, said the students were found flouting the dress code of the University.
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‎The bulletin said the university authorities had issued the students warning letters to desist from such act or face disciplinary action.
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“The students have been magnanimously pardoned by the university authority and were warned to desist from the act of Indecent Dressing, henceforth, or face disciplinary action,” the bulletin said.
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‎Meanwhile, Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, said his administration remained focused on implementing plans and strategies that would improve infrastructure and facilities in the institution. ‎
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Fagbohun said within the past 200 days he spent in office, his administration had been able to attract keen interest from benefactors and investors, both public and private. ‎
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“Step by step, LASU is beginning to distinguish itself, over the past seven months, as a lot has been achieved and a lot more is in the offing, ” he said.

NAN

Amnesty International accuses SARS of ‘horrific torture’, extortion

Police

Amnesty International has accused the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a unit of the Nigeria Police Force, of torturing suspects and demanding bribes to free them.

In a report published on its website on Wednesday the group alleged that officers attached to SARS were getting rich from lucrative bribes.

The report alleged that detainees were subjected to “horrific torture methods, including hanging, starvation, beatings, shootings and mock executions, at the hands of corrupt SARS officers.

AI said it received reports from lawyers, human rights defenders and journalists and collected testimonies stating that some police officers in SARS regularly demand bribes, steal and extort money from criminal suspects and their families.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria researcher, Damian Ugwu, said, “A police unit created to protect the people has instead become a danger to society, torturing its victims with complete impunity while fomenting a toxic climate of fear and corruption.

“Our research has uncovered a pattern of ruthless human rights violations where victims are arrested and tortured until they either make a ‘confession’ or pay officers a bribe to be released.”

He added, “SARS officers are getting rich through their brutality. In Nigeria, it seems that torture is a lucrative business.”

The group said it found 130 detainees living in overcrowded cells at a SARS detention in Abuja known as the ‘Abattoir’.

A 32-year-old man, Chidi Oluchi, told Amnesty he was tortured after being arrested by SARS officers in Enugu.

“They started beating me with the side of their machetes and heavy sticks. My mouth was bleeding and my vision became blurred,” he was quoted as saying in the report, adding that he was released after paying SARS officers N25,500 ($80).

AI also recorded the case of a 25-year-old fuel attendant in Onitsha, Anambra State, who was arrested by SARS after his employer had accused him of being responsible for a burglary at their business premises.

The attendant told Amnesty International, “The policemen asked me to sign a plain sheet. When I signed it, they told me I have signed my death warrant. They left me hanging on a suspended iron rod. My body ceased to function. I lost consciousness. When I was about to die they took me down and poured water on me to revive me.”

Like many people detained by SARS, he was not allowed access to a lawyer, a doctor or his family during his two-week detention.

Yet in various cases where victims of police torture or other ill-treatment attempted to seek justice, the authorities took no action.

Amnesty said that a senior officer explained that around 40 officers accused of manhandling detainees had been transferred to other stations in April 2016, although he did not say whether the claims against them had been investigated.

“It is time for the authorities to ensure that officers responsible for such human rights violations are finally held accountable,” said Amnesty’s Nigeria researcher, Damian Ugwu.

“There is also an urgent need for robust legislation that ensures all acts of torture are offences under Nigeria’s criminal law.”

ISIS members use guns, explosives as dowries for Nigerian brides

ISIS

Islamic State group marriage contracts unearthed by pro-government forces battling the group in Libya reveal that the jihadists offered their brides unusual dowries: machine guns and explosive belts.

Forces allied with the country’s unity government discovered the archives as they searched buildings seized during their months-long battle to oust IS from its coastal bastion of Sirte.

The documents belonged to the jihadists’ “Judicial and Complaints Department”.

Published on pro-government forces’ Facebook pages, they include marriage contracts and divorce rulings without any real name or personal information.

In one example from November 31, 2015, Abu Mansour, a Tunisian born in 1977, married a Nigerian called Miriam, in the presence of Sudanese and Malian witnesses.

In contrast to Islamic norms, Abu Mansour did not pay a dowry but vowed to pay compensation in the event of his death or the marriage being dissolved — in the form of an explosive belt.

Fatima, from Nigeria, was promised a Kalashnikov assault rifle in case of divorce or if her husband, Malian Abu Said, died.

IS jihadists took over Sirte in June 2015 and imposed a reign of terror including executions in public squares.

They patrolled the streets in 4x4s to ensure that men were observing prayer times and women were not venturing out alone.

Forces allied with Libya’s Government of National Accord launched an offensive on May 12 to retake the port city that was the hometown of late dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

They cornered the jihadists in a small area in central Sirte but were slowed down by snipers and suicide bombings that have killed some 450 pro-government fighters.

AFP

Adams Oshiomhole

Ahead of the Edo State governorship election, Governor Adams Oshiomhole has reiterated that his successor will not emerge from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party or the political family of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion.

Governor Oshiomhole disclosed this while addressing journalists in Benin, the state capital, on Tuesday.

Oshiomhole, who criticised Igbinedion for claiming that the PDP would win the poll by a wide margin, said that he was aware that the former governor and other leaders of the opposition had been “in pains” since he (Oshiomhole) became governor in 2008.

He also said that his administration had defeated politicians who had claimed to be godfathers.

The governor said, “I want to make it clear to Lucky that the next governor can never be from the Igbinedion family. The next governor will be a people’s governor and that person, by the special grace of God, is Godwin Obaseki.

“I am aware that they are in pains since I became governor; I had to retrieve all they held hostage and gave (them) back to the people.

“Our people will never go back to the dark days and my fight against godfathers has been successful and that is why, today, any Edo man or woman can become a governor without going to any godfather. They (godfathers) are crying and I am happy. They will continue to cry.

Oshiomhole also urged Igbinedion not to bother about the outcome of the September 28 election, adding that both the PDP and its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, would not win.

“So, let me tell Lucky, my good friend, to forget about the result of the election because his PDP and Ize-Iyamu will not win. He should ask himself what his PDP has done in Edo to deserve victory.

“So, they should stop their bad dream of victory. Edo people have rejected the godfathers and they will not return.”

The former governor could not be immediately reached for comments.

But Igbinedion had, in a text message sent to our correspondent on Sunday, said that his family did not claim ownership of the state but was interested in its development.

He added, “The house of Igbinedion has never laid claim to the ownership of Edo State. But we have an interest in the development of the state — both the private and public sectors.

“Let Edo decide under whose administration they have enjoyed more prosperity and not vile, rude propaganda.”

Buhari spent only N20m on ear treatment – Presidency, What would have been spent if all his body was ?

Mallam Garba Shehu, the Spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the President spent about twenty million naira as medical expenses for his ear treatment. Shehu in a post on his Facebook page which he titled “In Response to Prof. Farooq Kperogi”


Buhari

Reads “The disclosure on Prof. Farooq Kperogi’s wall that President Muhammadu Buhari’s ear treatment in the United Kingdom cost a whopping six million pounds must have shocked many of the respected scholar’s followers.

The story reads like an incredible tale by moonlight that belongs to a different era, which fortunately is now history. That’s when a fortunate lady saved USD15 million for medical treatment! But was it possible that the account of this balanced journalism teacher was hacked?

I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Given the austere president we have, Muhammadu Buhari would not have approved this amount if he was shown a six million Pounds bill. I won’t be surprised if the President may have asked if the fat bill was for the purchase of a brand new pair of ears!

I’m prepared to share documents with Farooq, one of the brightest ever produced from the Bayero University Kano (BUK) that the whole treatment, including a follow-up visit by a specialist to Nigeria didn’t cost 50,000 pounds.

For the records, the administration advanced a higher sum, but the President’s doctor returned the balance to the treasury. Indeed, it’s a New Day, and President Buhari’s change mantra is real. Let no one confuse my fellow countrymen and women.”

Man, 25, stabbed to death over girlfriend

IGP

A twenty-five year-old man, Matthew Iyede, has been stabbed to death by three friends over an alleged disagreement over a girlfriend at Eku, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday morning at a popular drinking bar, Blue Sea Restaurant and Bar, in Eku, near Delta State University Abraka.

Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the victim died immediately, following multiple stabs he sustained on his chest.

The PUNCH learnt that the late Matthew was ambushed by armed youths alleged to have been led by one Ese Uku. Ese was alleged to have warned the victim to steer clear of the girl whom Matthew had reportedly been dating for long.

 The victim’s relative, Victor Iyede, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the phone. Victor claimed that his brother was killed over a girl he had been dating.

Victor said, “Matthew was stabbed at a plaza closer to Eku Town hall. He was stabbed over a girl. Those involved are at large. Their names have been submitted to the police.”

 The spokesman of the Delta State Police Commander, SP Celestina Kalu, confirmed the incident when contacted. She said two of the suspects had been arrested by the police in Abraka.

 “The vigilante group, in collaboration with the Police, arrested two suspects in respect of the case. The names of the suspects are Kevwe Edward (21 years old) and Lucky Grant (19 years old). The suspects will be transferred to SCIIDC for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution,” Kalu said.

 She added that Matthew’s corpse has been deposited at the Eku General hospital pending further investigation by the police.