Jean-François Copé, president of France’s UMP party, is currently in the news for his attack on a book that he claims is being suggested for the official primary school reading list. Entitled “Tous à poil” (Everybody naked), this book reminds me of another great bestseller among young kids nowadays (Everyone poops). Part of a wider range of books entitled “For the equality between boys and girls: 100 youth albums”, the books’ aim is to break down the stereotype of differences between boys and girls and stresses the normality of nudity.
The baby-sitter is naked, the teacher is naked, the president is naked… Copé showed his indignation and asked whether it was not time for Paris (read the establishment) to stand up and notice what was going on. Unfortunately for the wider debate, the book is not really on the recommended list for primary school teaching. What happened was that Copé got to the book via a link on the page to l’Atelier des Merveilles which is the association promoting the above series.
In 2014, western liberal democracy still has huge difficulties dealing with nudity. In another book review this morning, a chronicler of FEMEN’s exploits in France told the interviewer how it was hard for her to explain to a Ukrainian FEMEN activist that attacking a church with nudity (for the uninitiated, FEMEN tend to protest topless) in la France laique would not have the same effect. THE Ukrainian activist retorted that laiceté had nothing to do with it – if the church was active in social affairs (notably on same-sex marriage) then it should expect that protests turn up on its doorstep too.
Which brings me to the Jiena Inhobb business. From what I gather the play is a raving success. I have been unable to watch it due to problems of distance. Having said that it has been interesting watching the play’s interaction with the public – before the performance started and now that we have the first reviews. Interviewed in MaltaToday early on Simon Bartolo was irked that the “controversy” surrounding the play before it started might have stolen a bit of the limelight.
Once the play began it was only a matter of hours before we could gauge the first reactions. My worry (and probably that of people like Simon Bartolo) was that any possible nudity would eclipse any other message the play might be passing on. As it happens there WAS definitely a short term effect of having tits and dicks on stage but the general message of the play seems to have survived the early onslaught. Yes, I have seen more than one comment from patrons of the show about the ridiculous reactions (and childish giggles) upon first seeing a pair of breasts or a penis on stage but it would seem that the actual subject matter of the play trumped the nudity – as it should be.
We have a situation where we cannot be too sure whether Jiena Inhobb would have passed the censors in the “pre-liberal” era. Somehow (but I stand to be corrected) I do not think that this is the first play in the last decade to have full nudity on stage. It is intriguing that some reports still linger on the nudity issue itself (for a great review, if you have access to it, check out the facebook note by Mario Vella see note below by Mario Vella reproduced with kind permission – who puts the nudity issue very much into its place and concentrates on the more important elements – such as whether or not the play’s message is passé).
Our relationship with nudity – topless sunbathing, strip clubs, nudity on stage, sexual education – is still very conservative and poses quite a stumbling block to our collective maturity. Copé’s outburst is a reminder that conservative elements remain everywhere, not Only in Malta, but we still have a long introspective study to make before we can claim to have been liberated from the shackles of collective prudery. Randomly inspired legislation that only serves to silence some vote-getting lobby will not work on the real issue here. Without a real social discussion on the issue we can never move on.
That, I’m afraid, might be the naked truth.
MARIO VELLA’S NOTE/REVIEW.
OPINIONS EXPRESSED BELOW ARE EXCLUSIVELY THOSE OF MARIO VELLA. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT MARIO VELLA ENDORSES ANY PART OF THE J’ACCUSE POST.
Kelmtejn fuq ‘Jiena Nhobb, Inti Thobb’ li qieghdha tintwera l-Manoel bhalissa. Ser nipprova nharbex xi haga ghax naf fic-cert li bhall ma jigri ghal ezebizzjonijiet teatrali l-ohra kollha li kelli x-xorti (kultant anke l-isfortuna) li nattendi ghalihom, l-oggettivita ser tisfa mormija fiz-zibel frott dawn l-obbligi socjali li bhala Maltin inhossu fil-konfront ta’ kollegi, hbieb u mhumiex li wiehed inevitabbilment ser jispicca jhabbat wiccu maghhom illum jew ghada. ‘Jiena Nhobb, Inti Thobb’ hija tassew play relevanti ghal gurnata tal-llum u inutli wiehed jipprova jimminaha billi jattribwila aggettivi negattivi bhal ‘passe’ , ‘goffa’ jew sahansitra ‘retrograda’. Xoghol li jirrifletti il-battalji politici/socjali tal-gurnata ma jixraqlux ikun imxekkel minn tali kritika – kif nistenna ser tkun minn certu kwartieri, ghalkemm qatt pubblikament ghax nghiduha kif inhi, il-viljakkerija taghna tizboq kwalunkwe talent li qatt nistghu inhaddnu. Xoghol li pubblikament iqanqal l-ghadab ta’ bosta moralisti li ghadom ihossuhom intitolati li jiimmonopolizzaw u jissabutaggjaw patrimonjii umani (u fuq kollox Kristjani) bhal ‘moghodrija’, ‘imhabba’ u ‘salvazzjoni’ ma jista qatt ikun ‘skontat’. Mil-banda l-ohra wisq nibza li l-agendi perversi ta dawn it-talin li accennajt ghalihom kultant jispiccaw iwelldu ohrajn li flok jibbilancjaw il-mizien ikomplu jrewwhu id-dhahen fl’ghajnejn bir-rizultat li kulhadd jispicca sulu jhares lejn ix-xemx minn go gharbiel.
L-affarijiet li ghogbuni f’Jien Nhobb, Inti Thobb’ kienu bosta. Ghogobni ferm l-ensemble karizmatiku tieghu, u nittama ma nkunx qieghed nonqos lil-bqija tal-kast jekk niddistingwi lil- Ray Calleja ghan naturalezza u intelligenza interpretativa tieghu – kwalita li sfortunatament mhix daqstnat komuni fuq il-palk Malti. Ghogobni hafna l-uzu tal-ispazju, ghogbitni l-kitba li fl-ewwel att offriet bilanc dinjituz bejn ‘screwball comedy’ klassika u kummentarju socjali hieles minn tqanzih u tmiegh zejjed bl-imgharfa. Laqtitni wkoll il-facilita li biha d-diretturSean Buhagiar (debuttant f’dan ir-rwol) irnexxielu jalterna bejn id-diversi karattru f’dawn l-ewwel battuti tal-play minghajr ma qatt jitlef ir-riedni tad-diversi possibiltajiet offruti mill-iskript ta Simon Bartolo. Sfortunatament mhux l-istess jista jinghadd ghat tieni att ta dan ix-xoghol teatrali li jiftah b’xena domestika ferm imgebbda.
SPOILERS
Nifhem il-htiega li wiehed jiffoka fuq il-mizerji domestici tal-karattru interpretat minn Roderick Vassallo u nifhem ukoll li din kellha twitti t-triq (inevitabbli?) ghal konfessjoni imqanqla tieghu izjed tard pero xorta hassejt li din ix-xena kienet nieqsa mir-ritmu mehtieg. Nghaddi issa ghal istess konfessjoni li kellha tipprovdi wahda mil-bosta qcacet emozzjonali tal-play. Hawn hassejt li Bartolo tilef kollox ghaliex naqas li jkun kuraggjuz bizzejjed sal-punt li jipprezentalna dan il-karattru ghal dak li hu – Cioe gay li kien qieghed jghix gidba devastanti ghalih u ghal dawk kollha ta madwaru. Hawnhekk il-kittieb hass il-htiega ezagerata li jaghsar l-ahhar qtar ta’ empatija mil-udjenza billi jghabbi lil-martu bit-‘tort’ tal-infedelta u ghaldaqstant jiskongra kompletament lil-dan il-karattru mil-konsegwenzi ta ghemilu. Nuqqas kbir iehor hassejt li sar fil-konfront tal-karattru ta Devon (nittama li gibt ismu tajjeb) li minn predatur sesswali b’potenzjal kbir drammatiku jigi relegat ghal semplici kondiment li jqanqal il-fantaziji sesswali elementari tal-persunaggi tal-play u forsi…sa certu punt…tal-udjenza wkoll. Anke t-tragedja kbira li ssehh f’dawn il-battuti tinhass kemmxejn grotteska u sa certu punt titradixxi dak li b’tant hila kien stabbilit fl-ewwel att. Hawnhekk il-kuntest tal-play jintesa u kull attenzjon ghal ‘kejl’ tisfa abbandunat sabiex jigu sodisfatti htigijiet drammatici kemmxejn artificjali. Idejjaqni hafna dan in-nuqqas ta fidi fl-intuwizzjoni naturali tal-udjenza……izjed u izjed f’xoghol li min-natura innifisha tieghu kellu l-obbligu li jkun provokattiv. Tghiduli x’fidi jista jifdallek fl-udjenzi meta fl-2014 ghadek tisma bosta patruni jfaqqaw id-dahk barra minn loku jew aghar minn hekk jistghagbu bid-dehra ta zobb (ghalkemm wiehed il-gmiel tieghu) fuq il-Palk Nazzjonali Malti? Dahri mal-hajt hekk x’nista nghid hlief li minghajr il-fidi m’hemmx tama?
Nittama li din ir-ricensjoni tittiehed fl-ispirtu ta djalogu li fih inkitbet. Jekk le, wiehed dejjem jista jsib farag fl-imhaded kritici ta xi hadd bhal Dr. Pawlu Xuereb li ilu ‘jirraporta’ it-teatru daqs kemm Ruth Amaira ilha taqra l-ahbarijiet.
QABEL INHALLIKOM NIXTIEQ MIL-GDID NAWGURA IL-GID KOLLU TAD-DINJA LIL-KULL MINN KELLU X’JAQSAM MA DIN IL-PLAY U FUQ KOLLOX INHEGGEG LIL-MIN JINSAB BEJN HALLTEJN JEKK JATTENDIX JEW LE SABIEX JAQBAD U JMUR IL-MANOEL. BIR-RISERVI KOLLHA LI INTHOM INDUBBJAMENT INTITOLATI GHALIHOM XORTA HEMM CANS TAJJEB LI TIEHDU GOST U TKUNU MQANQLA FUQ XI LIVELL JEW IEHOR.
