In a Jafaraway Land (original)
In a Jafaraway Land... (revised)
So I decided to do my project on Aladdin. I wanted to play off the stereotypes found in Disney films and how they over-categorize cultures of foreign regions. A great example is Mulan; Mulan is based off Chinese tradition, yet a large part of the plot revolves around Mulan's pressure to be a geisha...geishas are a Japanese tradition, not Chinese.
With Aladdin, there definitely is a lot of overlapping of different cultures. The story is supposed to be based in Saudi Arabia, yet there are many references to the south Asian subcontinent (India/Nepal/etc.). Jasmine's palace looks a lot like the Taj Mahal, which is not Saudi Arabian. This is also reinforced because the fictional city of Agrabah is similar to Agra (the former capital of Hindustan). She is also known to sport a very revealing outfit -- something not accepted in those regions; most women wear saris or burkas. Aladdin also wears a Fez (hat) which is Turkish not Indian or Saudi Arabian. Lastly, in the film she and Aladdin kiss, which is a huge no-no in many middle-eastern and Asian countries; hence why in Bollywood films kissing is only alluded (meant only for married couples in private).
Therefore I wanted to perpetuate the stereotype even more, so I over-layed Jai Ho (popular Hindi song), onto Aladdin's Prince Ali song and then referenced all the discrepancies in the film. I also ended by then taking a historically correct film (Jodha Akbar) and over-layed Prince Ali, and finally ended with the original song of the scene Azeem O Shaan Shahenshah (translates to "Praise the King"). I picked this film because they sing to the king of Hindustan (modern-day India) which is similar to the Prince Ali scene in Aladdin. I ended the video this way in order to realize the stereotype being projected more explicitly, and while stereotypes can be helpful we must not over-categorize cultures.
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