In which countries (and why) was Barbie banned?
The Vietnam ban is now known , but the million-dollar film Barbie by Greta Gerwig with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was not liked by several countries, which also banned it with delayed release. Here's which ones and why
Last in chronological order was Algeria. After three weeks in theaters and 40,000 people who went to see it, the Ministry of Culture banned the Barbie film because it "promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances" and "does not conform to Algerian religious and cultural beliefs".
Kuwait, another country with a Muslim tradition, has also banned its screening and in Lebanon, although it has not yet been banned, the culture minister has strongly criticized it.
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, where gender disparity is still very clear and homosexuality is punished by death, has censored some parts, such as the United Arab Emirates.
THE NOTICE (LATE) AND THE SILENCE OF ALGERIA
The Algerian Ministry of Culture, which also has the task of checking the contents of films distributed in the country, "discreetly" withdrew Barbie from cinemas after three weeks of screening because, as stated by "well-informed sources" cited by the 24H Algérie website, "offends morals".
"Almost 48 hours after the cancellation of the film – writes France24 -, the Algerian Ministry of Culture, which usually announces film bans and explains the reasons for them, is still silent".
KUWAIT SAY NO TO FOREIGN IDEAS AND BELIEFS
Kuwait has also banned Barbie because, as stated in the statement of the Kuna state news agency which quotes the undersecretary for press and publications, as well as head of the committee that deals with film censorship, "the decision stems from the desire to protect the 'public ethics and social traditions" because "the film promulgates ideas and beliefs alien to Kuwaiti society and public order".
“When deciding on any foreign film, the committee usually orders the censorship of scenes that go against public ethics – explained the undersecretary -. But if a film conveys alien concepts, messages or unacceptable behavior, the commission decides to ban the material in question as a whole."
LEBANON RETURNS ON RIGHTS
Lebanon cannot yet be included in the list of countries that have banned Barbie but the news would seem to be numbered. Although the decision rests with a government censorship committee, the words of the culture minister, against the screening of the film, echo those of Kuwait and Algeria. In fact, he believes that it contradicts "the values of faith and morals" and promotes "homosexuality and transsexuality", as well as ridiculing the role of mothers and questioning the need for marriage.
Among other things, apart from the presence of openly queer actors and actresses in the cast, anyone who has seen Barbie will have noticed that there is no scene that openly portrays same-sex relationships.
But as Reuters observes, although in 2017 Lebanon was the first Arab country to organize a week dedicated to Gay Pride and is generally considered a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community, in a context where the Middle East is largely conservative, in The issue has sparked tensions recently. Last year, for example, the interior minister decided to ban events that "promote sexual perversion", meaning LGBTQ+ gatherings.
Furthermore, the culture minister is backed by the powerful Shiite armed group Hezbollah, whose leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has hardened his rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community, saying homosexuality poses an "imminent danger" to Lebanon and must be "addressed ”. He also cited Islamic texts calling for homosexual acts to be punished with death.
EXCEPTION AND PARADOX SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia, despite having requested some cuts to the film (not even relevant) and being "one of the most chauvinist countries in the world", writes the New York Times , welcomed the film with great enthusiasm, which seeks to undermine the culture of patriarchy, well instead rooted in the country. The same success has been seen in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
And to think that until eight years ago there weren't even cinemas in Saudi Arabia and people went all the way to Bahrain to see a film. Now, more than 15 shows are scheduled for Barbie every day.
However, this sparkle is only an appearance. In fact, we cannot forget that with the rise to power of the 37-year-old crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, if on the one hand some restrictions have been eliminated, such as the ban on driving and working for women, on the other hand political repression has significantly increased, homosexuality is punished by death, and women must still receive approval from a male guardian to marry.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/in-quali-paesi-e-perche-e-stato-vietato-barbie/ on Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:27:55 +0000.