Millions have seen and loved the film Avatar. I personally did not like it very much, for a number of reasons. Regardless, I noticed the film’s social justice undertones in which a group of indigenous people overcomes the oppression of corporate greed and mercenary fire power.
There was plenty of room for a thoughtful, derivative work that explored the social justice themes of the film. (It was banned in ‘China’ (whatever that means these days) and then a mountain was named after it in ‘China’ too.) However, Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora has nothing to do with activism. Somewhat wedged between a Star Wars encyclopedia and a silly essay about resisting the corporation, this work feels like an amalgam of backstory and storyboarding.
I think there’s potential to extract a better story out of Avatar, and I’m sure HarperCollins will leap at the chance. Or is a good derivative work another name for ‘Unobtanium’?
–Deji Olukotun
A new book that celebrates mixed race children will be released on March 17 by Chronicle books. As a person of mixed race, I am often surprised at how rarely the topic is directly discussed. If so — especially in the U.S. — it is frequently tainted by legacies of Jim Crow and the slave trade. But there are a lot of us and we should celebrate that!
Anyway, I’m looking forward to a positive read. Check out the book here.
–Deji Olukotun
OperationSafe, a humanitarian organization, has created a story entitled “Pete’s Adventure” to help children recover from trauma. The story features 3-D animation and is translated into various languages. OperationSafe will soon be taking the story to Haiti.
I can’t figure out if OperationSafe is a charity, a faith based group, or a private organization. (It seems to be based in Tokyo.) If you know more please let me know…
–Deji Olukotun
The commonly touted figure is that less than 3 percent of foreign language books are translated into English. I’m not sure where that figure comes from. It’s become something of a legend. But the rate is definitely small. Some people believe this is market driven — that Americans are happy consuming quality books by their own authors — and others feel that it is because of American provincialism — that we just don’t care about other countries.
Anyway, a short list of Best Translated Books was recently announced. It is no surprise that Archipelago Books has two in the running. Archipelago produces beautiful volumes by living and deceased authors. Many of these works — including Wonder by the Dutch author Hugo Claus — touch upon social justice themes and I have reviewed them on this site. The prize will be announced on March 10.
CHECK OUT THE SHORTLIST HERE.
–Deji Olukotun
The Olympics are not just a place for athletes to explore the limits of human physicality, they are also a multibillion dollar entertainment industry. The ‘purity’ of the games — ensured through amateur requirements, drug testing — can’t hide the fact that it’s still entertainment content streaming through our media.
I have played sports my entire life and enjoy the thrill of a good contest. And I’ll admit that I love watching the Olympics, especially the sports that require totally bizarre training and skills.
But what is the human rights cost of such an event? It is clear that the human right to housing has been consistently violated for the past several Olympic Games and is currently being violated in Vancouver. Another sobering fact: no Olympic city has EVER turned a profit.
Check out this fantastic, well researched article by the Christian Science Monitor here.
–Deji Olukotun
Photo by tpower1978 on a Creative Commons License.
