#african and asian artists

[thoughtlessarse]

Musicians, authors, producers and festival managers have hit out at “humiliating” and costly visa-rejection rates for African and Asian artists visiting Britain and European Union countries, saying it is having a chilling impact on cultural diversity. Analysis shows the UK last year raised £44m in fees for visa applications that were then rejected, mainly coming from low- and middle-income countries. The EU made €130m (£110m). Total costs are likely to increase in 2024, since the standard short stay visitor visa application fee in the UK rose in October 2023 from £100 to £115, while in the EU the cost of visas rose from €80 to €90 in June this year. Lesley Lokko, a Ghanaian-Scottish author and architect, described the non-refundable fees as “outrageous”, noting that they were mainly paid by those who could least afford them. African visitors were disproportionately affected, with visa-rejection rates as high as 40-70%, according to analysis from arts and migration research group the Lago Collective. Sissay, who curated Ethiopia’s first pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, said that while none of his Ethiopian team had visa problems, he came across other Africans who did. “The idea is that you are not welcome,” said Sissay. “It has become a serious problem.” Rejection rates for EU visas from countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal are as high as 40-47%, the analysis shows. In Britain, Algeria has the highest visa-rejection rate at 71%, followed by Bangladesh at 53%, while Ghana, Pakistan and Nigeria had rejection rates of between 30% and 46%.

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[annuskabriar]

asian small wild cats! this is just everyone i could find that seemed to have their ranges go into asia. this is on etsy as a print here and sticker pack here!

[beyondwenet]

womanhood, my dearest

[xxpeachesncreamxx]

Shades.

[raziel011def]

*REPOST*

I believe all my ocs designs are impeccable

[dartxo]

"Elephantidae"

2020

Phylogenetic tree of the three extant elephant species

African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

In popular knowledge, elephants are commonly separated into two kinds, African and Asian (that is, when a distinction is made at all). In actuality, there are three very distinct, very different, very unique species of elephant alive today:

-The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

-The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

-The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

The two species of African Elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian Elephants are from Woolly Mammoths. The African Forest Elephant is actually more closely related to the extinct, massive Straight-tusked Elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) than it is to its contemporary African cousin.

All three elephant species are endangered.

[jamaicanartfantasy]

Angels are integral to our Christmas tradition, from featuring in nativity scenes and carols to adorning the top of the tree, but few are aware of their pre-biblical origins. These mythical messengers are a mixture of Christianity, folklore and marketing. Jamaican religious sect base their notion of angels on references in the Hebrew scriptures to divine servants and to the heavenly hosts

[noway78]

4 of my teenage OC superheroines at prom getting ready to meet up with their dates.

[propalitet]

i always need (want) new music to listen to

[kizaba]

KIZABA

WWW.KIZABA.CA

[hyperlove777]

G I Joe Wrath Of Cobra Demo Gameplay Part 2 | #gijoewrathofcobra #gijo...

Joe: Wrath of Cobra, the upcoming retro-themed side-scrolling beat-'em-up starring everyone's favorite '80's military heroes. Wrath of Cobra will be released on Steam on September 26, with Xbox, PlayStation, Epic Games Store, and GOG versions following soon.

[musicianfiend]

Music Genre - Melodic Metal

In the realm of music, Melodic Metal stands as a genre that bridges the worlds of powerful, electrifying sound and melodic, emotional depth. Explore the journey of Melodic Metal, from its pioneering bands to its global influence, lyrical storytelling to l

In the world of heavy music, where thunderous riffs, blistering guitar solos, and thunderous drumbeats reign supreme, there exists a subgenre that adds a unique dimension to the sonic landscape. It’s a genre that marries the aggression and power of heavy metal with the beauty and emotion of melody. Welcome to the realm of Melodic Metal, a genre that has captured the hearts of metalheads and music…

[endeartdesigns]

[pocketsizedowls]

My Conspiracy Theory about Natlan's Pale Characters

I started playing Genshin Impact around the 3.7 update, right after the Interdarshan Championship. While I wasn't around during the initial spark of outrage against Sumeru due to the characters' overall lack of melanin, I eventually learned a lot about Sumeru's cultural inspirations through the SWANA and South Asian creators in the fandom. I think it's beautiful how we learn about each other's cultures through Genshin, and I believe the designers at Hoyoverse do lots of research to facilitate these conversations. This is why I think it's a shame that Natlan, which features rich Indigenous cultures in the Americas, Africa, and Pacific Islands, features primarily pale characters AGAIN.

While it's possible that through the art, story, and fashion of Natlan we will once again learn about the diverse cultures of Indigenous Americas, West Africa, and the Pacific Islands, I don't think it's enough. Considering a lot of these cultures take pride in their skin color and bodies through tattoos, body paint, and other markings/piercings, Hoyoverse is doing a disservice to today's Latin American, African, and Pacific islander fan base by making the majority of Natlan characters pale. To insensitively cherry-pick what traits of each culture to represent and what to discard is the definition of cultural appropriation and racism, which is such a shame because of how many discussions about culture that Genshin has started since 2020. As a Chinese American player, I'm especially disappointed that the company who educated so many people about my culture is failing my brown and Black friends to such a spectacular degree.

Many people have come up with excuses such as it's just skin, it's just a game, Hoyoverse is a Chinese company so what do you expect, Latin America also has white people, etc. I won't bother debunking these myths because there are plenty of people doing this labor already, but what I do want to bring people's attention to is the fact that many Natlan characters were most likely designed with darker skin in mind. Through fanmade recolorings (here's an example), I noticed that Mualani and Kachina's tan lines and skin details look more pronounced with darker skin, while Xilonen looks more mature and Kinich looks more brooding. Having studied studio art during undergrad, I cannot unsee these intentional artistic decisions and cannot shake the possibility that the researchers and character designers of Hoyoverse were forced by higherups to whitewash everyone at the very last minute. If this is true, I hope Hoyoverse will find some way to reverse their decision or turn a new leaf in the future. Considering many other Chinese games like Reverse: 1999 and Dislyte already have diverse representation and melanated characters, Hoyoverse should find no problem following their lead.

As of right now (i.e. 4.8 update), Genshin players from all over the world are expressing their dissatisfaction with Hoyoverse through boycotts, review bombing, and posting on social media. The Chinese fanbase - Hoyoverse's primary audience - is especially vocal and organized about their efforts, which means if Hoyoverse doesn't notice now, they will notice soon. Despite how much we like using Genshin as an escape from real life, it's important to recognize how insidious the consequences of erasing melanated characters can be. Anti-Blackness and colorism harm people on the daily, which is why we must speak up when a company as big and influential as Hoyoverse is doing the harming.

Thanks for reading! Here are some related threads from X, formally known as Twitter:

Petition to "Stop Cultural Appropriation and Whitewashing in MiHoYo Games"

Valeria Rodriguez, i.e. Surcrose's English VA's thoughts on Natlan

Natlan Characters Look Better with a Dark Skintone

Kaveh rerunning in 4.8 is a ploy for WHAT!?!?!?

We Should All Email Hoyoverse

Official Account for HYV Boycott

[niuniente]

I like to watch horror movies from different countries and cultures; American, Mexican, Argentinean, Spanish, British, Norwegian, Iranian, Korean, Japanese... But I realized that I've never seen a horror movie from East-Europe. And, it doesn't make ANY sense because one of the best horror artists I know are Slavic.

So, any recommendation for East-European and Slavic horror movies? All horror genres are fine and I have no squicks.

I'd be also more than happy to receive recs for West and South Asian horror movies as well as African horror movies from any African region.