The Chilean Miners Are Safe and Sound

Photo Credit: Kate Sedgwick (Flickr)

It was all over the news and all over the Hispanic networks. Last night we watched as they began to rescue the Chilean miners and after a long day of hard work I'm glad to report that all 33 miners are safe and sound.

India: A Novela Where Cultural Differences Become Salient

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

It’s almost been a week since India’s premiere on TeleFutura and I must admit that I've been glued to the television screen every single episode. Although last night’s episode focused primarily on developing secondary characters, a lot of interesting things happened:

Raj & Duda

Last night we saw cultural differences between Raj and Duda become more salient. If you haven’t been following, Raj recently broke up with Duda because his family is against him marrying a non-Indian girl (a “firangi”). Upset that Raj ended the relationship so abruptly, the only explanation Duda can come up with is that Raj is in love with another woman. As they converse about their break-up, she insists on finding out who this imaginary woman is and refuses to understand that he left her because he doesn’t want to be ex-communicated from his family, community and caste.

As I watched this scene, I couldn’t help but to think about the cultural differences driving this break-up. Raj, coming from a collectivist society where relationships—to one’s family, to one’s neighbors, to one’s caste—seems to be at the center of everything can’t get Duda to understand that it’s not a lack of love that’s standing between them but an entire community. Duda on the other hand, living in a western society, sees things from a more individualistic perspective. To her, the problem is all about them two and the choices that each of them makes. Although Brazilian society is not as individualistic as those of the United States or Western Europe, her cultural background doesn’t allow her to understand what it means to be excluded from his social circle and caste.

Bahuan & Shankar

We also saw Shankar (Bahuan’s adoptive father) become upset over Bahuan’s plans to leave India for the United States. In the past two episodes, Shankar has been acting a little bit more conservative than we might have expected. While in the first episode he talked about castes being man-made and not necessarily indicative of what a person should do, last night we found out that the reason he didn’t marry the love of his life is because of the restrictions imposed upon his (Brahman) caste. He also has refused to lie for Bahuan because, as a member of the priestly caste, he could never live with lying—no matter how benevolent the lie might be. While I don’t expect him to lie, I do hope we can get a little more clarity as to whether he’s for or against castes. If he doesn’t believe that castes should determine what a man can do, why does he follow the rules of conduct for his caste so strictly?

I guess we’ll have to keep on watching to see where the story takes us next. As we wait for tonight’s episode, let me just say that Duda is not going to stand idly by as Raj leaves for India...

Novela "India" Shows the Importance of Family in Indian Culture

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

If you’ve been following India, TeleFutura’s new sensation, you have become aware of the importance of family in Indian culture.

We have recently seen how one’s family can be the most important thing in determining one’s social status in Indian society. For example, if your family is from the merchant class, you will also belong to that class. In a society that is portrayed as highly hierarchical, this is of extreme importance as your past can directly affect your future.

Case in point: Bahuan. Coming from a family in the lowest caste of Indian society, (dalit), he is not only prohibited from marrying Maya, but he’s not even allowed to touch her. Not having a family of a “respectable” caste, he also doesn’t have anybody with whom to appear before Maya’s parents to ask for her in marriage. While Shankar has attempted to give Bahuan the opportunity to have a family, he will not lie and say that he is Bahuan’s biological father in order to make Maya’s parent’s believe that their daughter is marrying a member of the priestly caste (highest social class). As her parents not only insist on meeting his family and learning about his family tree, Bahuan seems to be in an impossible situation.

Similarly, through Raj’s character we see the importance of the family as a means for passing on Indian traditions to future generations. His father warns that in marrying a foreigner, he will not only affect his own life but the lives of his children and future generations. Thus, his marriage not only concerns him but his entire family. Unfortunately, even his rebellious grandfather seems to think that he shouldn’t marry a non-Indian girl. The situation is further complicated by the fact that his family seems to be very close-knit, as can be seen in a scene where they are gathered in the kitchen as Indira (his mom) prepares a meal. Knowing that he will be ex-communicated from his family and society if he decides to marry Duda, he finally chooses his family over her. The problem now will be dealing with the resulting consequences especially since Duda didn’t take the bad news lightly.

As the young Indian characters of India attempt to settle down and get married, we can see that avoiding family intervention is no easy task. if you’ve been watching closely, you can also see that plans are in-the-making to get Maya and Raj to marry each other. These may soon pan out—especially if Shankar tells Maya’s parents the truth about Bahuan’s identity.

Will the families succeed in deciding the protagonists’ lives or will they be able to marry whomever they want?

India: A Novela About Tradition, Modernity and Cultural Differences

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

If you didn’t watch India on TeleFutura last night, rest assured that it completely surpassed any of my expectations. It was only the first episode, but a lot of ground was covered. Here’s a quick recap of what happened:

Bahuan, who belongs to the dalit or “untouchable” caste, was humiliated by a prejudiced father for having approached his children who belong to the merchant caste (higher caste). Shankar, approaches the scene, defends Bahuan and decides to adopt him to give him a chance at a different life. The next time we see Bahuan, he is a young professional who just came back from a PhD program in the United States. On his first day back in Rajastan, he goes to a Hindu shrine where he meets Maya. Here the unthinkable happened. As they throw flower petals on the statue of the god/goddess to pay their respects, their hands touched and they were instantly attracted to each other.

Maya apparently comes from a relatively modern family who allows her to work the evening shift at a telemarketing company. After meeting with Bahuan for a second time, her excitement can’t be contained and she breaks into dance similar to those in Bollywood movies.  However, we soon find out that her father has been approached by a suitor who wants to marry her.

In the plot line set in Brazil, we also learn about Cadore—a pharmaceutical company that just revealed their plans to merge with an Indian company. Cadore is owned and controlled by Raul and Ramiro Cadore. Raul is clearly unhappy with this life and is on the verge of a mid-life crisis.  On the other hand, Ramiro is a man who seems to be a bit of a workaholic and very ambitious. To his dismay, his son Tarso, is not at all interested in following in his father’s steps.

Lastly, another important character we were introduced to was Raj. Rash is an Indian businessman whose family has always made a living as manufacturers of Indian textiles. While visiting Brazil, however, he fell in love with Duda--a problem for his very traditional Hindu family. When he travels back to India he encounters pressure from his family to get married to an Indian girl who can pass on their tradition to his future children.

The first episode was truly captivating! Not only were we introduced to the underlying tensions between different social classes within Indian society, but we are also subtly introduced to the tension between tradition and modernity. In this episode, real topics are not avoided but rather discussed in a realistic way. The perfect example of this is Bahuan’s surprise to see all the changes India has been through--in particular the new (outsourced) industry of telemarketing. Similarly, through Raj’s storyline we also see how Indians attempt to maintain their identity as they encounter the West.

"India" Airs on TeleFutura

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

For novela lovers, tonight is very important as TeleFutura will begin its broadcast of India (2009) at 10 PM.

If you didn’t already know, India is a Brazilian novela created by Gloria Pérez (Caminho das Índias) for Rede Globo. Set in exotic locations—India and Brazil—India tells the story of two people that fall in love with each other but come from different backgrounds. The main premise of the novela is that the protagonists, Maya and Bahuan, will have to struggle to be together as their difference in castes (social classes in Hinduism) keeps them apart. This is because Maya is prohibited from having a romantic relationship with Bahuan, a man who comes from the “untouchable” cast in Indian society.

I am looking forward to watching this novela as it promises to not only take us to a foreign land but also teach us about a foreign culture. As we watch the protagonists fight for their love, we will inevitably be exposed to India’s caste system. This is particularly exciting since broadcasting India in Spanish has the potential of raising awareness about Indian culture amongst Hispanic viewers. Considering that many Hispanic viewers might have never met someone from India before, this is truly promising. Similarly, India is also promising in that it can increase our understanding of Indian society while opening the doors to future interactions between members of both cultures.

Nonetheless, it is also important to recognize that India may bring about the unfavorable effect of stereotyping. As is common in television production everywhere, India will surely rely on some basic stereotypes to create a coherent story. To some extent it is understandable that it is not a documentary—we shouldn’t expect it to teach us everything about Indian culture with 100% authenticity. It is precisely because of this that India also has its downsides. Portrayals of Indian life can problematic if some viewers believe them wholeheartedly. Although I doubt that a majority of the audience will just assume that this fictional rendition is 100% true to the real thing, I hope Hispanic audiences recognize that they will be exposed to some exaggerations and distortions of Indian culture. As an audience we must keep in mind that the main purpose of the story is to entertain, not necessarily to educate. The only thing that we can hope for is that the proper amount of research was conducted and that whatever they choose to delve in—castes, clothing, customs, etc—be presented in the most authentic way possible.

Lastly, as viewers who might not have traveled through  India or know someone from India, we may benefit from doing a little research of our own--India can be a good starting point for research that can lead to a better and more nuanced understanding of Indian culture. It also doesn’t hurt to learn how the  television-fabricated world compares to the real thing.

In any case, I have high hopes that India will be a great entertainment experience.

Novelas and...Horses?

Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)

If the title to this blog seems a little weird, let me explain. 

Today, as I started watching reruns of Niña Amada Mia (2003) on TeleFutura, I realized that not only are novela writers infatuated with including horse-racing and horse-breeding as part of their plots, but audiences love horse on-screen as well. 

Assuming that morning reruns on TeleFutura are chosen on the basis of their popularity the first time they were aired, we can assume that Hispanic audiences do actually enjoy seeing wealthy people on-screen who own horses. After all, this is not the first time that a novela like this is aired on a Hispanic network.About 14 years ago Univision aired a Venezuelan production called Quirpa de Tres Mujeres (1996). "Quirpa" was the same exact story as Niña Amada Mia, except 7 years earlier and a Venezuelan cast. Thus, in both productions we watch as the protagonists--the three daughters of an important horse owner--deal with impossible love scenarios and the daily struggles of associated with being part of a horse-breeding family. 

If you're keeping count, so far we have seen two novelas somehow focused on horses.But wait,  there's more. A couple of years ago, Univision showed Niña Amada Mia for the second time. It is now 2010 and we are watching it again--a third time. 

More recently, Telemundo has also caught on with the horse love-fest in El Fantasma de Elena (2010). Not only are the protagonists, Elena Lafe and Eduardo Giron, competitive equestrians, but their families are in the horse-breeding business. Horses have become such an important part of the plot that, in a relatively recent episode, Eduardo brought the horses into the living room to take revenge for Elena's harsh behavior.

As I reflect on why horses would be included in novelas as often as they are, I figured that two potential reasons could explain this phenomenon: The first is that audiences enjoy horses (and the rural setting, for that matter) because of its potential familiarity. We must keep in mind that some--not all--Hispanic immigrants to America came from rural backgrounds. Watching the horses and the rural setting on-screen may bring back memories from their past. The second is that audiences may enjoy seeing the wealth and power associated with characters who belong to the horse-breeding elite.

Whatever it is, the truth of the matter is that horses are on-screen quite often! Do you have another idea as to why this might be so?

When Attempts at Social Good Can Get Annoying

                                                     Photo Credit: Schmilblick (Flickr)

Yes, novelas do reach millions of viewers every day. Yes, this gives them the opportunity to influence their viewers in a positive way. But when novela writers take it upon themselves to solve the world or teach their viewers moral lesson time and time again, that’s where I draw the line.

While I have no problem seeing novelas dealing with real issues as a means to educate their audiences, I do have a problem when their good intentions ruin the plot. In the past, I have watched as novelas deal with homophobia, addictions, interracial relationships and adoption, but Telemundo’s El Clon has reached new heights with their obsession with Natalia's drug addiction.

Being an adaptation of Gloria Perez’s Brazilian novela O Clone, I was very excited about the promise of seeing something different on Hispanic television. The idea of taking an issues as controversial as cloning and interracial dating and bringing it to the (Hispanic) masses was refreshing—especially considering that most novelas still follow the traditional pattern of poor girl/guy falls in love with rich girl/guy but they can’t be together because of class differences or inter-family hatred.

However, recently, El Clon has focused on showing us, the viewers, the negative effects of drug addiction. Natalia, a supporting character in the plot, has recently become the focus of the novela as we are constantly exposed to her struggles living as a drug addict. Not only that, but we also constantly hear the Don Enrique’s words of wisdom on the topic, as he has become some sort of spokesperson for the novela’s addicts (Natlia and her group of friends), narrating the struggles that are common to people with such condition. The irony is that he is also an alcoholic who is struggling to overcome his addiction.

I do not mean to delegitimize the condition or the struggles faced by real-life addicts. Addictions must be very damaging not only to the addicts themselves to but also to their friends and family members. However, seeing it repeatedly on my television screen is annoying.

Although I support the potential television has to start serious discussions, I am annoyed at the way novelas can become obsessed with certain issues and make them an increasingly important part of the plot. What’s worse is that they try to portray these issues so seriously that they end up being unnecessarily dramatic to the point where it becomes annoying. For example, not once, not twice, but multiple times I’ve had to watch Natalia promise her boyfriend and parents that she doesn’t have a problem while listening to Don Enrique’s voice-over that describes the denial addicts live in. Yes, it must be hard for someone going through an addiction problem, but I thought the novela was about Lucas, Jade and the clone. Why must we sit through an entire episode and watch Natalia suffer?

As writers attempt to educate their audiences about the realities of social issues through the television screen, they must seriously consider the impact those portrayals will actually have. Will they present a serious issue with respect and the necessary level of gravity or will they exaggerate to the point where viewers will want to hurl something at the tv screen?