EFE.- Poder Prieto, a Mexican initiative promoted by actors and actresses, is gaining more strength these days with the start of a festival to make visible the discrimination that people with dark complexions suffer in the film industry, and thus open the conversation about racism in the country.
“Poder Prieto the only thing that tries to start is to open the conversation. We do not pretend to be right, what we pretend is to talk about our reasons. Let’s all talk about our reasons and understand that recognizing the pain of others and the obstacles of others does not prevent us from recognizing those of others, ”actress and producer Maya Zapata told EFE.
At a press conference, several of the promoters of Poder Prieto reflected on the need to change narratives and discuss racism and discrimination in the industry, but also in Mexican society in general, an intention that will be reflected in the first Festival of the initiative that will take place on Friday in Mexico City.
With this, a movement that emerged last May on social networks will be “de-virtualized” for the first time when actors and other racialized professionals from the field shared images of themselves proudly showing their skin color and demanded that things change in an industry in the one that still exists abundant racism.
“We do it from the audiovisual media because it is the trench in which we live. We realized that there are many things that happen in the media and let’s say that the cultural environment is the tip of the iceberg and the cultural face of racism. It is the face that has educated us to think that what happened was normal, today we realize that it is not, “actor Horacio García-Rojas told EFE.
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Reflection and listening
The interpreter considered that in Latin America it is necessary “from the outset” to reflect, ask oneself where the current society is and decide if that place is the ideal one.
“This cannot happen except through reflection, including seeing ourselves in the mirror, recognizing ourselves and beginning to think about what our history is and that of those around us,” he shared.
For this reason, one of the spaces of the Faro Cosmos will be full of mirrors with the intention that each attendee can recognize themselves in front of the glass and reconcile with themselves.
Zapata, García-Rojas, actress Vania Sisaí Rodsan, José Aguilar from RacismoMx, the secretary of Culture of Mexico City Vanessa Bohórquez and local deputy Indalí Pardillo.
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The festival will include conferences, activities focused on the recognition of diversity, workshops and a concert, and during the conference they invited everyone who may be curious or interested in the subject to attend.
With the activities they want this festival, which they hope will be the first of many, to have an impact on the internal dialogue of the attendees, but they also want to hear stories and generate a conversation that for years had been practically banned.
“We have this idea of generating a Mexico, an empathic world because we are losing out on having different narratives, losing great talents who, due to not having a skin tone or a (certain) eye color, are invisible,” said the actor.
In relation to the need to listen to “other stories”, Zapata considered that diversity has to be reflected more and more in the audiovisual field, because society is diverse and because the younger generations learn from television and cinema, who are later they will be in charge of the world.
“We do not have a single story, it is enough to look at this room to realize that we are all very diverse,” he said.
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Privilege at the service of change
And for the more than 200 members of Poder Prieto, it is very important to recognize their own privileges, since some of them, such as Zapata, García-Rojas or the actor Tenoch Huerta, have, due to their profession and recognition -which it has cost them to access- , the possibility of communicating and being heard, at least, by a part of society.
“I have the privilege of constant work and of having a certain recognition as an actor, the idea is, what do I do with that privilege and how do I use it? More spaces can be opened that trust and believe in people who have been studying, dreaming of being musicians, dancers, doctors or lawyers ”, expressed García-Rojas.
Zapata agreed with his colleague and reflected on the need to put one’s own privileges “at the service of change” to create an equal base from which all people can start.
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