The Black Lives Matter movement, amplified by the death of George Floyd during a police arrest in Minneapolis, triggered a vast questioning of cultural works. In the United States, many statues testifying to the country's slave past have been degraded or brought down by demonstrators. A few days ago, HBO Max announced the provisional withdrawal of the feature film River Gone with the Wind from its catalog, the time to replay it with a contextualization.
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The Metropolitan Opera in New York is now in the sights of anti-racism activists, after a message posted on June 1 on social networks in support of the Black Lives Matter, as reported by Radio Classic . “There is no room for racism in the arts. There is no room for racism in New York. There is no room for racism in this country, as well as around the world. The Met supports those who raise their voices for justice and equality, ” wrote the New York establishment.
Lack of diversity
Several internet users felt that the institution's position was not sufficient, recalling in particular a production of Aïda in 2018, which has since been broadcast on the Met website. "Are you going to remove from your site the representation of Aida with the blackface of Anna Netrebko? It's the least you can do, ” asked one of them on Twitter. On the video, available on the Opera's website, we see the Russian soprano's face and body grimaced so as to make her skin darker.
More generally, the criticisms leveled against the Opera relate to the lack of diversity and representation of minorities within its shows. In early June, a petition was launched, asking the Met to stop programming works in which artists use the "blackface". Practiced in the theater and in films from the beginning of the 20th century, this process consists in disguising oneself as a black person in a caricatural manner.
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In a statement, the Met's general manager and music director said they would "do more to support racial equality" and "acknowledge the mistakes of the past." The musicians of the prestigious establishment have made a series of recommendations for the Met. They claim in particular that the company is committed to recruiting more composers, conductors and racist soloists in the next opera and symphonic seasons of the Opera.
The Metropolitan Opera in New York announced Monday that its 2020-2021 season will not start until December 31, three months after the scheduled launch. What give him the time to review his programming and include more diversity?