A video alluding to the Pilgrimage of Agonia launched by the dance school “Arte em Movimento”, in Viana do Castelo, which had already gone viral, was banned from Facebook and Instagram due to reports of racism. The song chosen for the video, which is not official at the event, may be the source of the controversy.
“Arte em Movimento” reported on what happened on social networks: “We received the unfortunate news that the Stand Up video was removed due to reports of racism against it, which were totally misunderstood by us”.
“We received a notification from Instagram saying that the video had been removed due to several reports of racism, that was the only information they gave us”, explains O MINHO Susana Domingues, director of the dance school.
Susana Domingues adds that she has already challenged Facebook’s decision yesterday: “When there are considerable complaints, Facebook removes the content and, only after contestation, reassesses it. We asked for more information, to try to understand where racism is in this video and what is the reason for having removed it. The only information we have is that it was going to be reassessed and to date we await some response ”.
The song chosen for the video will be the source of the complaints. The theme “Stand Up ‘” was recorded by black singer Cynthia Erivo for the film Harriet (2019), starring herself. It is the story of the American slavery abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman.
In some comments to the video, the issue of cultural appropriation was raised.
“The music in the video portrays the struggles of the black people. It is appropriate to take this song and put it in a video like this. The music doesn’t belong to you, ”wrote a Facebook user in one of the comments.
“Among 500 thousand comments that we have wonderful, there are about 20 that allude to music. It is a completely destructive criticism and we were completely surprised ”, underlines Susana Domingues, considering that these people“ are making a totally wrong interpretation of the meaning of this song ”.
“We used music because it has an incredibly strong bond. It was a song used and created for a film, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be used in other contexts. The message we found in the song was exactly the one we wanted to share. It makes sense to keep this song that is of strength and of a united people ”, stresses the director of the dance school, recognizing that the denunciations will have arisen“ out there ”.
“[Essas] people speak without knowing the cause. Whoever is speaking cannot even understand the real message of the film, which we know what it is, nor why the music was created for the film. The curious thing is that both the music and the film have the message that we are going to end racism. We are a united people, let’s go forward, that’s the message. We created an analogy to our current state and used that song, because we thought that everyone would understand the message. And so it was, otherwise it would not have had the proportion it had. We do not understand where racism is ”, concludes the official.
However, the video, which remains on You Tube, was published again through Susana Domingues’ personal account, since it is not possible on the “Arte em Movimento” page.
“If the purpose of this video was to transmit a message of strength to the Portuguese people, now, more than ever, we ask all Portuguese people to help us show our real strength”, says “Arte em Movimento”.
The video “Stand Up” portrays the “claw and strength” of the people of Viana do Castelo and travels in costumes with the folklore groups from Vila Franca and Castelo do Neiva and through the tradition well evident every year at the parties of Senhora d ‘ Agony.
With artistic direction by Susana Domingues, the video is edited by André Cardoso and the choreography is by Cristiana Neto.
News updated at 16h38 with the information that this is not an official video of the pilgrimage.
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