Caribbean Matters: Disney's next Little Mermaid is from the Caribbean
Those of you who don’t have preschool-aged kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews may not be up on the latest television programming produced for that age group. You may, however, be aware of the racist backlash that took place when Disney produced “The Little Mermaid” movie starring Halle Bailey, who is Black. Mermaids, according to racists, have to be white. Well, Disney has done it again in a TV series, and this time Ariel, the little mermaid, is a delightful Black eight year old with lovely burgundy locks, who lives in an underwater Caribbean kingdom called Atlantica. The show premiers June 27 on Disney Jr. with additional episodes airing June 28 on Disney+. One wonders whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will mount an anti-Ariel campaign given his interference in all things Black and educational and Disney, and his antipathy toward Caribbean American folks who live in “his” state. Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean. Film critic and children’s media consultant Lynnette Nicholas previewed the new series for Parents.com back in March: Parents recently spoke with the series’ Executive Producer Lynne Southerland ... “With this children’s animated series, we get to open up her fantastical world, but in an authentic Caribbean-oriented space.” [...] The new series certainly leans into that mission. In the new series, Ursula is “Tauntie Ursula,” described as a kinder, gentler version of the villain. But she and the merpeople of Atlantica have diverse ethnicities and complexions and showcase a vast spectrum of different cultures. Ariel’s merfriends have Nubian knots in their hair, ethnic hair jewelry, flowers, and ornate ponytail ball hair accessories. Southerland says the creative and production teams were very deliberate about keeping the casting and series authentic. “If Atlantica is really in the Caribbean, we wanted to pull back the curtain and find all the ways that we could be inspired by that culture, which is full of multicultural influences. We had consultants and professors to consult on cultural storytelling as well as with the music,” she explains. Meet Ariel and her friends: YouTube Video The “Shimmer Song” has a Caribbean beat: YouTube Video I have found all of the debate and backlash against Black mermaids, and probable future critiques of this new Caribbean Ariel, to be ridiculous, given the history of mythical mermaid type beings in the region. As both a student of Caribbean folklore and African diasporic religious practice, as well as being a practitioner, I can point to Yemaya mermaid imagery, La Sirene or Mami Wata, and Jamaica’s River Mumma. La Sirene pic.twitter.com/EEqqMwo8Jk— Hungry Hungry Hooker! (@GullahRehabbed) September 12, 2022 In October 2021, Barbadian author Zahra Spencer, wrote for gal-dem: Afro-Caribbean folklore is rife with mermaid stories which, of course, makes sense given our proximity and relationship to the sea. In Recollections of Southern Plantation Life, author and slave owner Henry Ravenel’s comments reveal the extent to which ‘sea spirits’ have been a part of African spiritual traditions. “There was a general belief in the guardian spirits of water called cymbee among the slaves,” Ravenel wrote, “I have never been able to trace the word to any European language and conclude it must be African.” I often think of how unfortunate it is that I grew up searching for myself in Ariel, not even considering the way my own Caribbean heritage held such rich, vibrant and mystical stories of its own. Like the legend of Mami Wata, the formidable, half-woman, half-fish water spirit, whose story managed to endure the Middle Passage and centuries of slavery – becoming a staple in Caribbean folklore. Or Haiti’s mesmerising La Siréne, who is often depicted as holding the mirror portal between the mortal and mystical realm. And of course, the sometimes beautiful, sometimes snake-like Mama Dlo, the potential lover of Papa Bois, according to Trinidadian folklore. It wasn’t that I didn’t know of these stories growing up, but for some reason, the unshakeable image in my mind of a mermaid was one of loose waves and creamy skin. This is the insidiousness of colonialism – it makes whiteness the default. It makes you overlook what’s right in front of your eyes and will have you searching for yourself in spaces never meant for you. I applaud Disney Jr. for this new series for preschoolers, developed with Black producers and consultants, because it’s important that our very young are exposed to characters, mythical or otherwise, that reflect diversity. I am hoping that in the future, some of our Caribbean mythical figures will be portrayed. I also hope that how Black people actually got to the Caribbean is addressed as well. Join me in the comments section below for more, and for our weekly Caribbean news roundup. Campaign Action
JoriPress
Those of you who don’t have preschool-aged kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews may not be up on the latest television programming produced for that age group. You may, however, be aware of the racist backlash that took place when Disney produced “The Little Mermaid” movie starring Halle Bailey, who is Black. Mermaids, according to racists, have to be white.
Well, Disney has done it again in a TV series, and this time Ariel, the little mermaid, is a delightful Black eight year old with lovely burgundy locks, who lives in an underwater Caribbean kingdom called Atlantica. The show premiers June 27 on Disney Jr. with additional episodes airing June 28 on Disney+.
One wonders whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will mount an anti-Ariel campaign given his interference in all things Black and educational and Disney, and his antipathy toward Caribbean American folks who live in “his” state.
Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.
Film critic and children’s media consultant Lynnette Nicholas previewed the new series for Parents.com back in March:
Parents recently spoke with the series’ Executive Producer Lynne Southerland ... “With this children’s animated series, we get to open up her fantastical world, but in an authentic Caribbean-oriented space.”
[...]
The new series certainly leans into that mission. In the new series, Ursula is “Tauntie Ursula,” described as a kinder, gentler version of the villain. But she and the merpeople of Atlantica have diverse ethnicities and complexions and showcase a vast spectrum of different cultures. Ariel’s merfriends have Nubian knots in their hair, ethnic hair jewelry, flowers, and ornate ponytail ball hair accessories.
Southerland says the creative and production teams were very deliberate about keeping the casting and series authentic. “If Atlantica is really in the Caribbean, we wanted to pull back the curtain and find all the ways that we could be inspired by that culture, which is full of multicultural influences. We had consultants and professors to consult on cultural storytelling as well as with the music,” she explains.
Meet Ariel and her friends:
The “Shimmer Song” has a Caribbean beat:
I have found all of the debate and backlash against Black mermaids, and probable future critiques of this new Caribbean Ariel, to be ridiculous, given the history of mythical mermaid type beings in the region. As both a student of Caribbean folklore and African diasporic religious practice, as well as being a practitioner, I can point to Yemaya mermaid imagery, La Sirene or Mami Wata, and Jamaica’s River Mumma.
In October 2021, Barbadian author Zahra Spencer, wrote for gal-dem:
Afro-Caribbean folklore is rife with mermaid stories which, of course, makes sense given our proximity and relationship to the sea. In Recollections of Southern Plantation Life, author and slave owner Henry Ravenel’s comments reveal the extent to which ‘sea spirits’ have been a part of African spiritual traditions. “There was a general belief in the guardian spirits of water called cymbee among the slaves,” Ravenel wrote, “I have never been able to trace the word to any European language and conclude it must be African.”
I often think of how unfortunate it is that I grew up searching for myself in Ariel, not even considering the way my own Caribbean heritage held such rich, vibrant and mystical stories of its own. Like the legend of Mami Wata, the formidable, half-woman, half-fish water spirit, whose story managed to endure the Middle Passage and centuries of slavery – becoming a staple in Caribbean folklore. Or Haiti’s mesmerising La Siréne, who is often depicted as holding the mirror portal between the mortal and mystical realm. And of course, the sometimes beautiful, sometimes snake-like Mama Dlo, the potential lover of Papa Bois, according to Trinidadian folklore.
It wasn’t that I didn’t know of these stories growing up, but for some reason, the unshakeable image in my mind of a mermaid was one of loose waves and creamy skin. This is the insidiousness of colonialism – it makes whiteness the default. It makes you overlook what’s right in front of your eyes and will have you searching for yourself in spaces never meant for you.
I applaud Disney Jr. for this new series for preschoolers, developed with Black producers and consultants, because it’s important that our very young are exposed to characters, mythical or otherwise, that reflect diversity. I am hoping that in the future, some of our Caribbean mythical figures will be portrayed. I also hope that how Black people actually got to the Caribbean is addressed as well.
Join me in the comments section below for more, and for our weekly Caribbean news roundup. Campaign Action
