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[adiva_calandia]

Probably the single most frustrating prompt I have ever -- ever, including standardized test prompts -- seen:

Describe the influence of African art.. . . On what? On who? Which African art? When

Comments

[newredshoes]

Well, there was this one time where primitive humans went out of the Great Rift Valley, and...

I vote you just talk about "Tales in the Sand" from The Sandman. As fact.

[adiva_calandia]

... Dude, I totally will. I was already planning on talking about the album Graceland as my personal "Screw you too."

[newredshoes]

An even bigger "Screw you too" would be The Lion King. :-D

[adiva_calandia]

Thaaaat I am not sure I could get away with, just because I doubt my ability to analyze The Lion King in an African context as opposed to a Shakespearean one.

[adiva_calandia]

ALTHOUGH. I could probably talk some about the stage production. *thoughtful*

[newredshoes]

I was thinking more along the lines of the West's "Hey, we need a new flavor! Africa? Sure, why not!" when it needed a great summer blockbuster. You know how much I adore that movie, but commodification FTW, baby! As a commentary on your professor's kind of horrific laziness, 'cause no way is Ghana Ethiopia or South Africa or Morocco or Zaire &c &c &c.

[adiva_calandia]

*snort* Point. In which case I may as well include "Life Is Wild" in there as an example.

[newredshoes]

Other thoughts: THE BLUES. THE SOUTH. VOODOO HORROR. CARIBBEAN LITERATURE. RAP. Just -- just -- just --

Argh. I think you should just present a list of African influences in the world, and make it as forceful and sprawling and impressive and undirected as possible.

Well, no, obviously, but it's a wonderful thought. (Do remember to stay focused, though, when you do this for real! Pick and choose your fights here, it'll make the paper stronger.)