#amazigh woman

[mist-the-wannabe-linguist]

Looking for help with naming a character 🙏

This one is for an Inheritance Cycle OC who comes from the Wandering Tribes (same as Ajihad and Nasuada). Paolini pretty clearly based them on irl North African cultures (Tuareg, Nubian, Hausa...) and I'd like to give the character an actual name from one of those cultures instead of just making something up as the author seemed to have done, but so far my research has been unsuccessful. If this reaches anyone from these cultures or anyone who has good sources, I'd greatly appreciate any help🙏

[zif7ayati]

Caftans 90’s & 20’s

http://www.instagram.com/zif7ayati

[tyrannoninja]

Dea Africa

This is my portrait of Dea Africa, a Roman goddess-like entity who personified the imperial province of Africa (which to them meant the area of Tunisia and the northwestern coast of modern Libya). Roman artists traditionally depicted her wearing a helmet modeled after an African elephant’s head and with braided or dreadlocked hair, but otherwise made her look more Italian than African in accordance with their prevailing beauty ideals. Nonetheless, I wanted my version to look, well, African even without the elephant helmet, with some ritual scarifications and Amazigh-style tattoos to boot.

Dea Africa is unlikely to have been a major deity in the Roman pantheon, but sometimes she was associated with a cornucopia (horn of plenty) to represent fertility, which may refer to Rome’s North African provinces serving as a breadbasket for the Empire.

[awomanontheinternet]

☾

[friendswithclay]

“Amazigh woman walking in the snow.” Agouim, Morocco, c.1975

[folkfashion]

Amazigh woman, Algeria, by melissa_titri

[thattunisiandude]

Tunisian Amazigh woman wearing traditional clothes.

Nefzewa, Gbelli, Tunisia . 1934

Picture by Anre Chambert

[thecupidwitch]

Anzar (ⴰⵏⵥⴰⵕ): Amazigh God’s Of Rain

Introduction:

Like in Greece or Egypt, pre-Islamic Amazigh people across North Africa also had their own mythology, gods, rituals and sacrifices. Anzar was god of the sky, waters, rivers, seas, streams and springs and rain. "Anzar" is an amazigh world that mean "rain", he also has others names such as Agellid n Ugeffur (King of the Rain) Agellid n Waman (King of the Water) and Agellid Anzar (King Anzar) among others.

The God Anzar is with no doubt of particular importance in the beliefs of the Amazigh people since antiquity, as he is the personification of rain itself. Ambivalent in nature, tyrannical, ruthless yet vital and essential just like rainfall, his tradition has came down to us thanks to the ancient fertility rites of "Tislit n Anzar" still practiced today in some Amazigh regions and villages. Sadly over the decades these ancient festivals receded and came to disappear almost completely due to religious zealotry and fanatism denouncing native pre-islamic traditions as despicable pagan rites.

The Myth:

According to oral folklore and poems:

There was once a time where gods took human forms, a powerful Sky God named Anzar; Master of the rain, water, seas, clouds and thunder fell madly in love with a beautiful peasant girl of marvellous beauty. She shone like a full moon on the water. Her face was resplendent and luminescent, her clothing of gittering silk. She was accustomed to bathe in a river of silver reflection every night. Transforming into a giant eagle he came to contemplate her everytime ; one day he spoke to her and asked her to marry him. But the frightened girl refused his request and fled, she would shy way from fear everytime the Master of rain approached her.

This rejection made Anzar so furious and angry that lands and crops started to be turned into piles of dust, famine was imminent as it would have ended up affecting the herds, cattle, the rivers, lakes and all the essential resources for the survival of the tribes. But Anzar didn't give up hope of seducing the woman he wanted most. And he threatened her;

- "Like the thunder I have split the immensity of the sky, O You, Star brighter than the sun itself, lend me your treasures, or otherwise I will deprive you from this water!"

The beautiful woman, frightened and in complete shock responded to him;

- "I beg you, Master of the skies, of coral crowned head. I know we were made for each other... but I fear the wrath of my people and what they will say..."

With these words the rain God abruptly disappeared once again and turned the ring he wore on his finger to make the entire river she bathed in suddenly dry up.

Out of desperation and fear for her people, the girl fell to the ground in sadness, and began to call out for Anzar as she bursted into tears. She remained naked as she stripped off her silk dress, and then cried to the sky:

- "O Anzar, O Anzar! O You, blossoming of the meadows! Let the rivers flow again, and come take your revenge!"

The latter suddenly appeared in the shape of an immense lightning, he took her and hugged the young girl tightly against him. After that they flew across the sky and all the rivers across the country began to flow again as the whole earth was covered with lush greenery.

With this romantic and supernatural ending, this myth comes to an end, which gave rise to an ancient ritual. Berber tribes began to symbolically sacrifice a virgin girl by offering her in a nuptial ceremony during any time of drought to summon Anzar, ask for his help and call for rain. Since then, every time after it rains, the legend says that Tarenza appears in the sky, in the form of a rainbow. She sacrificed herself for the greater good of humanity and left her people to become an immortal entity who spreads her iridescent colours across the sky after the fertilizing rainfall. Nowadays in the Amazigh language, 'Tislit n Anzar' simply means 'rainbow'.

The ancient ritual was based on five main steps:

In early autumn during the plowing period, take the most beautiful girl in the city, prepare her and addorn her of the most expensive and luxurious bridal jewelries and clothings.

Villagers have to organize processions and accompany her to the doors of the sanctuary or temple with an escort of women standing on the threshold to spray holy water on her.

Offer the ritual sacrifices (food, candles etc) in the sanctuary.

After having undressed the bride, go around the sanctuary 7 times begging and praising Anzar, and as the women sing, dance and praise Anzar, the young girls all have to play a game before dusk named Zerzari in which the ball is supposed to fall into a hole undergound prepared for the ritual.

Make a somptuous meal (generally chicken couscous) to share with the all the people in the village. One can be sure that a few days after the celebration of Anzar, the rain will begin to fall again.

This sacred ritual has survived to some extent and has taken different forms all across North Africa. The ritualistic ladle which now bears the common name of Tarenza, Ronja or Tarundja depending on the region, is always dressed as a bride and is worn by women in a parade all across the village or a nearby sacred mountain, while all singing for the God of rain to bring good harvests.

Several observations and accounts suggest that the current ladle doll is only a simulacrum and parody intended to replace the real original bride offered to Anzar. As it is stated that originally women were supposed to offer themselves completely naked to the Sky God. With the arrival of Islam in the 7th century, such traditions couldn't be tolerated and by then the practice changed and adapted to better suit the new religion. Since then the wooden ladle or spoon now called 'Tarenza' represents the coming of holy waters.

*Sources: [x] [x] [x]

Tip Jar

[ilys00ga]

𝐓𝐈𝐙𝐈𝐑𝐈 (2/2)

Tiziri (n): often used as a feminine name within some North African communities, tiziri is an Amazigh word that means 'moon' or 'moonlight'. It reflects and symbolizes the tranquility, serenity, and beauty associated with the moon. (proud amazigh moment)

: ̗̀➛ pair: yoongi x f reader/oc

: ̗̀➛ tags: supernatural/superpowers, sorcerer!yoongi, belly dancer!reader/oc, private entertainment worker!reader/oc, arabian/middle eastern older eras settings, use of weapons (rifles and daggers), time traveling, no smut.

: ̗̀➛ synopsis: In a world of simplicity and ordinary, Yoongi was only a teenage boy stuck in a turmoil of his indentity and purpose in life when he embarked on a long, tough journey of endless obstacles and ignorance. For years, he traveled the world and crossed paths with all kinds of humans and characters, all kinds of situations and dangers. He worked on honing his powers and bringing honor to his kind, despite, and despite, and despite. However, nothing could ever compare to a certain set of eyes. Not that he would ever believe that himself, anyway.

OR: when a powerful sorcerer falls to his knees in front of a belly dancer’s eyes.

: ̗̀➛ A/N: it's here!!!!!! finally. as I said before, there will be a "sequel" to this, so don't worry, it's not the end 😆 anyway, I hope u like it! stay tuned for more lolol. also, PLEASE interact with the post, I have no idea why the first part got such low reaches, and I don't really mind tbh, but I really like this fic and I worked hard on it 😕 so rb, and all that. and ofc, ur feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! have fun <33

: ̗̀➛ warning: this piece of fiction does not represent any community or ethnicity or group of people. I was inspired by the arab/middle eastern culture (as a semi arab myself), but it's all a product of my imagination. I hope this point is clear.

- unrevised, ignore the mistakes tyvm 🙏

★ MASTERLIST.

★ CHAPTER INDEX.

Deeper into the night, the moon was hanging high in the dark night sky. A full round disc shining down on the noiseless alley of the big, old village. The only faint sound that could be heard was that of crickets singing their nocturnal songs somewhere in the distance.

For a good, long moment, Yoongi stared at the dagger that woman was holding in her hand. Long blade and sharp point dangerously close to his waist.

The air between them carried a new tension. He lifted his gaze and met her cold one. Her teeth gritted in what could only be pain as she continued putting pressure onto her injured shoulder. Her figure was slightly slumped, soft pants still leaving her mouth, but her brown eye held a seriousness he found intriguing. He wondered where she’d been hiding the object all this time—or more accurately, where she'd get all of that stamina from after running in that state.

“One wrong move and I'll bury it in your chest.” She started, confidence unwavering in her tone.

Yoongi chose silence, debating whether he should make the pointed object slip out of her hold or make the effort of taking it out himself.

“Answer my question, I know them objects did not move on their own.” She added. “Talk.”

After a long moment of careful observation, Yoongi finally spoke, his voice calm yet strict and rigid. “Put that down.”

She parted her lips, ready to spill something in return to his command, when he quickly pinched the air with his thumb and index finger, sealing her lips shut together. He ignored her startled expression and listened attentively to the rushing footsteps approaching their corner, not forgetting to throw a warning glare at her.

The area they were in was still and quiet. The clear sound was growing closer and closer. He carefully stepped back, pushing her further into the small spaced nook they were hiding in.

A few more intense seconds passed, and three figures sprinted right past them, completely unaware of their presence. Yoongi could tell from their attire that they belonged to the same group that was chasing after them minutes ago.

They stayed like that for a little while, until an eerie silence took over the alley again. He slapped the dagger out of her hand with ease and spoke, “There's no time for this. We need to move.”

He stepped out of the alcove, eyes scanning the area warily, when he noticed her odd silence. “Oh right.”

Her hand flew to her mouth once he snapped his fingers and unsealed it again. “Goodness! I knew it!!”

Yoongi ignored her exclaim and turned to glare at her again, his voice low and empty of debate. “Start walking or stay here, I don’t care. I’ve already done enough.”

Not waiting for a response, he took one of the many bends and turns in the street, blindly making his way through the streets.

“Stop!” She shouted. Yoongi lifted his hand up, inching his thumb and pointer finger slightly closer to one another and making her lips twitch as a result. A quiet, wordless warning from him.

He didn't stop, walking towards another turn in the many options of alleyways the village presented before him.

“Foreigner, you're heading towards the local market again.” She tried again, her voice a little harsh this time, annoyed.

Yoongi stopped at that, slowly turning around to face her with a blank face. She eyed him for a brief moment, her shawl hanging around her shoulders, one side was soaked with blood. Then, she sighed again. “That man who was chasing after me was a high ranking one, somewhere close to the Sultan himself. He saw you with me, there’s no way you can get away now.”

A deep frown appeared on Yoongi’s face as he listened carefully. She continued talking: “I know a place nearby, come.”

“It’s still dangerous out there. This…inn is all we have in this area.” She said, before making her way into it. Yoongi kept a watchful eye on his surroundings as he followed her inside.

They stood in front of a desk. The man sitting there was smoking. He looked like he wanted to be smoking a hookah at a local coffee shop while reading a daily magazine instead of sitting there.

His brows rose up as he observed Yoongi first, then at the woman beside him and her injured shoulder. Back and forth, until his gaze settled on the sorcerer.

Yoongi cleared his throat. "Two rooms.”

A brow lift was what he got in return. “Two? We only give one room service.”

“Just give us the keys.” The woman intervened.

The worker looked like he wanted to say something as he eyed her up with a faint smirk, but he remained silent and tossed a key on the desk in front of them.

She picked it up and began walking towards the room they were granted.

Yoongi wasn’t sure what he was expecting for an inn to look like in that village, but something told him it wasn’t something that looked like the one they were in—or at least not usually.

There were only two floors in the building. It was easy to conclude the small space of each room from the number of doors in each level, just like the one they’d ended up in. It didn’t have much in it, simply a king size bed and a small bedside table. a small round rug beside the bed, and a small window that affords a view of the street outside. After further inspection, Yoongi found a small bathroom too.

She sat down on the bed with a hiss. Her face was a little paler than it was moments ago, and the hand of her injured shoulder was trembling slightly, but her face held onto a serious expression nonetheless as she studied him carefully.

He could feel the question sipping out of her mouth before she even moved it to speak. But then, a series of muffled noises came from one of the other rooms, or maybe more than one, it was hard to tell. He could tell they were a mix of groans and whimpers, even some creaking noises could be heard here and there.

It wasn’t hard for him to put two and two together to figure out what type of place he ended up in that night, and a strong urge to palm his face and sigh almost overwhelmed him, but he fought against it and kept his face emotionless.

She was the one to break their tense staring battle. A faint blush—so faint he could’ve easily missed it under the dim light of the candles scattered in the room—appeared on the apple of her cheeks for a brief moment.

He watched as she sighed, loaded with heaviness and tiredness, before she spoke, “this is the only place we can afford to stay in this area of the village.”

A pause took place between them after that. Their silence was louder than the muffled noises that lingered longer than Yoongi was comfortable with, though he didn’t show any sign of that, as per usual.

He cleared his throat, seeking to brush the weird surge of emotions that settled in his core all of a sudden, then said: “Let me see your injury.”

Her head snapped up to meet his stubbornly blank stare. “What? No, it’s alright.”

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you to do so.”

When she didn’t provide an answer, he continued to speak: “I can cure it. Let me see.”

She breathed in, let it stay in her lungs for a second, then let it out with a scoff. “Fine then. Just be quick.”

Without further ado, Yoongi stepped closer to the bed. He stood at the edge, putting a small distance between them as she removed her shawl, uncovering her wound. Though he did not show any signs of it, he did feel relieved when he saw that it was nothing but a semi thin slice across her shoulder. He could tell the sharp object digged decently enough for it to leave a painful sting behind, and he wondered how she still managed to bear it all that time.

After eyeing the injury up, he asked, “How did this happen?”

“The bastard stabbed me.” Noticing his questioning look, she added, “that man you saw holding a gun earlier, he was going to stab me in the chest, but I moved just in time and this happened.”

He wordlessly reached for a pouch he had hung at his waist, taking out a small piece of cloth that had enigmatic words and symbols all over it, then a tiny jar filled with an unusual purple liquid.

After putting the pouch back on his hip, Yoongi grabbed the fabric of the sleeve around the injury and tore it open. Her eyes blew open at that, a frown appearing between her brows.

“Relax. It needs treatment.” He said, voice surprisingly soft.

The persistent noises coming from the other rooms did a wonderful job at making the situation less at ease than it should’ve been, but she pressed her lips in a thin line and let him clean the blood around the cut with a wet towel he'd grabbed from the bathroom.

After cleaning the area as best as he could, Yoongi took the cloth and put it atop the injury, covering it entirely. A soft, barely audible gasp escaped her lips when it latched onto her skin almost immediately, as if it had a life of its own.

“It feels weird.” She said.

Yoongii allowed his finger to brush the skin around the cloth when he noticed her confusion. He wasn’t sure why he did that, but his touch was so soft, it left goosebumps in its wake. “Drink this.” He gave her the tiny jar with his free hand, then moved to lean against the wall, eyes fixed on her figure.

The way she was eyeing it up in her hand, a mix of fascination and cynicism all over her face, did not go unnoticed by him. “It’s a medicine. A potion if you will. It will help recover your energy in a few seconds.”

After hearing his words, she glanced up at him. Her face was inscrutable, her brown eye roamed his own face, searching for something in its curves and sharp edges. “Are you a witch? A magician, perhaps?”

One of Yoongi’s brows arched up at her guesses. It’s in his blood, a sorcerer's biggest displeasure is being referred to as such lower ranking species. He pushed a light breath out of his lungs, his eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment. His little confession came out with some irritation in his tone. “I am a sorcerer, not a witch. And definitely not a magician.”

“Same thing..” She gave a small roll of her eyes, then drinked—in his words—the potion in one go. Her face scrunching up as soon as the bitter taste of it hit her buds.

“Why didn’t you just say so when I asked?” She asked.

“Humans are not to be trusted,” he answered matter-of-factly.

Her brows jumped up at his words. “So you trust me now?”

‘No.’ His response came almost immediately.

A silent beat followed that small conversation. The noises no longer lingered in the air, Yoongi was thankful for that. He proceeded to speak again. “Are you not afraid?”

“Afraid?” She scoffed. “Please– I meet all kinds of males on a daily basis.”

He arched a brow. The more he talked to her, the more intrigued and taken aback her twists and turns made him feel. A combination he wasn't a stranger to, but it all seemed different right there and then, for some reason.

“I knew you were an interesting one the moment I saw you back there.” She continued to say.

Yoongi studied her more. There was a smile that looked way too sly for his own liking stretching on her lips the more she talked. “Oh, right. You don't recognize me. Let me show you something.”

He watched as she began removing her eye patch with her uninjured arm. The same eye patch he'd been finding himself curious about the more he'd glanced at it.

For the very first time since she'd bumped into him in that alleyway, both of her eyes traveled up to meet his own. As soon as he caught the sight of that ice blue orb again, his breath hitched, and he was pulled back to that lounge room. In front of that group of dancers, in front of her.

Min Yoongi—as the powerful sorcerer with years and years of training and experience—found himself stuck in his spot in front of that pair eyes again.

How couldn't he notice before? Why can't he figure out how to breathe properly? Why was his body moving on his own?

For these questions, he could not think of an answer. And all of a sudden, he found himself crouching right at her legs, staring deeply into her eyes. His body continued moving forward, all on its own.

Maybe it was just his eyes playing games with him, or maybe he'd lost all sense of logic the moment their eyes met, but he could see that ice blue orb of hers glowing in his face. He could feal the dust of its light, little tiny drops of glitter floating and falling on his cheek.

The distance between them got thicker by the ticking seconds. He could feel her warm breath caressing the skin of his face, could feel the warmth radiating off of her entire body from up close.

Her lips were close to his. So, so close. They lingered in the distance, barely a breath apart from his, but he didn't move. He froze up in his place and didn’t chase that warmth, finding himself putting a lot of effort into rejecting the weird grasp that refused to let him go. So much more effort than he should.

Sensing his resistance, she leaned forward, seeking that electric, fierce closure between them. To feel the softness of his skin touching hers. She was met with his finger pressed against her mouth with a gentle push, his eyes bore into hers with a new coldness in them.

For a brief moment, she looked taken aback, before switching to a confident smirk.

“A man with a strong control of self is a fine man.” She whispered, voice hushed and sultry.

One of his fingers traveled up to caress the skin under that special orb of hers, his touch soft and tender, unlike his intense gaze. Something about it kept playing with the strings of his restraint really hard. The more he looked, the harder it pulled. He did not like that.

Noise broke out down the corridor, pulling him out of the mayhem of his own desires and thoughts. He quickly flinched away from her, sucking a deep, silent breath in and bringing himself back on earth.

He felt confused, like he’d just woken up from a long, hot summer afternoon nap. His heart was beating fast in his chest. He did not like that, did not like whatever was happening to him, whatever was behind his state.

“What’s that noise?” She asked, her smirk lingered a little longer as she watched his mystified appearance, before turning into an alerted sharpness as she looked towards the door.

Once he got a stricter grip on his surroundings, Yoongi stood up and pressed his palm flat against the door, sensing the area outside.

Silence stretched inside the four walls they were in. The only noise palpable in the air was that of the chaos creeping closer and closer towards their room. The sound of shouting and struggling coming from different people at once.

Yoongi didn't move an inch, devoting his senses into analyzing the situation behind that door. That was until he suddenly jumped back from his spot, and the door flew wide open.

Two masked men burst inside, pointing long rifles in their faces. One of them, the taller one who fixed them with a piercing stare, moved with an impressive speed and targeted Yoongi with his weapon, delivering hit after another using its butt.

Yoongi muttered a curse under his breath as soon as his back hit the floor. A curse for both his beater and the universe for feeding too much superpower into his being, neglecting a very important element in the process: his physical abilities.

Sure he was a good fighter, he could punch and kick hard to save his life, but his body of an excellent sorcerer had its own limits.

On her end, the belly dancer rushed to put her dagger to good use, a new found energy bursting through her limbs now that her shoulder was healed.

She rushed to the other masked man, dodging a bullet and stabbing him right in the stomach. A pained shout left him bent down, clutching onto his wounded abdomen.

As he saw his companion getting attacked, the one who put a firm, almost deadly pressure onto Yoongi's neck as he stepped on it raised his rifle towards her, ready to fire. But Yoongi growled, unclasping one of his hands that were wrapped around the leg abusing him to raise it in the air.

Within a second, the rifle flew right out of the man's arms, making him gasp. Yoongi was quick to take his chance and pull his leg hard, pushing his body up and letting him fall in the space behind him. He then quickly reached out to grab the woman's arm and drag her out of the room, towards the stairs that lead to the floors underneath them.

Just when they made it to the first few steps, a loud, booming sound echoed in the entire building.

Yoongi felt her arm slip from his grasp, falling to the ground. And when he looked back, his heart sank. She laid there, limpless on the head of the staircase.

The sound of their chaser's feet hitting the ground of the corridors grew louder. Yoongi ducked away just in time, avoiding another bullet targeting him.

His heart thumped in his chest. His legs moved on their own as he carried himself up and continued making his way down the stairs.

Bringing his wrist up to his lips, he started muttering incoherent, barely audible words into the chain that wrapped around it at a full speed. Its pendant flickered with a bright light, glowing as he chanted more words onto it.

Light burst in the entire floor, swallowing him and his surroundings whole, like a deadly, angry ocean wave.

Yoongi closed his eyes shut, then everything around him fell silent. The sound of his own pulse and ragged breathing dissolving into the light.

[pickypickypeak]

No Amazigh person or Spanish person felt seen is the issue. Effort does not mean anything when you are a company that famously relies on orientalist and racist depictions of Brown people, and the movie you are supposedly representing us in does nothing to showcase that. I can say the concept artists put in the effort, Disney as a corporation did not with this movie.

First of all, like I said, since the movie is not about race plot-wise, that was not the main point of it. For example, Princess and the frog is the story of a Black woman. It was written to depict (among other things ofc) many aspects of the Black culture and the struggles as well of a Black person in 1920s New Orleans. Tiana couldn’t have been but Black. It’s not the same with Wish; Asha’s story is not about race, if you were to change her skin color, the plot would remain untouched, since Rosas is a multi-ethnic kingdom anyway. So her house having cultural furniture related to her origins is just details, but it’s still there. Should have they just not payed attention to the characters’ cultural background, even though that wasn’t the main focus of the plot?

That said, even though I’m sure I HAVE seen some people commenting positively on little cultural details in Wish (again, it’s not huge, but in a movie that is not about race, it’s little things that make you go “hmm. they actually cared enough to do that”), if you say the movie didn’t correctly portray Amazigh and Spanish people (among others, because the movie features many ethnicities), well I’m not Amazigh or Spanish so I’ll take your word for that, and I’m genuinely sorry if that kept you from enjoying the movie. Still I’m curious, what racist depictions of Brown people are in Wish? Also, what racist depictions of Brown people are in general in Disney? Aside from older films, but that was from a time when there was little ethnical sensibility and it was not only Disney making stereotypes (which they also acknowledged in recent years). Is the representation in Encanto bad? Moana? Raya and the last dragon? Strange world?

[olderthannetfic]

While we're having discussions on this blog about POC in fandom and white fans being assholes about depiction of POC: I'm Pashtun. Many of us have red hair. Many of us in more culturally diverse areas have married darker skinned Central Asian people or married Arabs who have moved to areas we live in, or, in the US, married Arab people who exist alongside us in the same immigrant majority communities. I've gotten some snide remarks about how ridiculous it is that one of my OCs is redheaded and not white, but that happens. It's not the most prominent gene or universal, of course, black hair is a more dominant gene, but it's not unheard of for a Pashtun/non-Pashtun family to have one kid with red hair. My brother is married to an Arab woman and three of their kids have black hair, but one of them has red hair just like his.

Before people say things like "you're not committing to having him be a POC" or "that's not how that works, redheads are pale", I think people should pause. A lot of things exist in places you aren't aware of, because the Earth is huge and human beings exist in an endless combination of places and appearances. There are Amazigh people with light skin and 4c hair, even if media featuring Amazigh people almost never shows that. There are Pashtun people with red hair and dark skin. Blue eyes exist in some people in Egypt, like Bassem Yusuf, for instance.

I know some character designs aren't great. Some people sexualize only their non-white OCs, which is always weird, or write their black OCs as dressing unprofessionally in whatever the author thinks is cool hip-hop clothing despite being a lawyer (shoutout to people in my fandom who just all got flashbacks), etc. But a combination of traits you may not be used to isn't inherently bad character design. Sometimes it's just reflecting a part of reality you're unfamiliar with. Instead of assuming the worst, maybe try asking, "Is this character [insert race you assume them to be]/mixed race?" so the author can reply without the awkwardness that comes from being told, "I thought he was Arab but you're not committing to having him be a POC". That sets a confrontational tone that is really not necessary imo.

As hostile as fandom is sometimes, I know this might not be easy, but I think people should extend others some good faith before jumping to the worst possible conclusion.

--

[readyforevolution]

TOP 10 AFRICAN TRIBES/ETHNIC GROUPS THAT ARE GLOBALLY KNOWN.

(In no particular order)

1) Zulu ?? South Africa – The Zulu tribe is popular outside Africa. They’ve been featured in music, documentaries and movies. Shaka the Zulu was a warrior king whose popularity is well spread. Famous Zulus, Lucky Dube, Nasty C, black Coffee etc.

2) Yoruba ?? Nigeria – The Yorubas are globally known for their history, culture, art and literature. Fela, Wole Soyinka, Wizkid, Davido, Tiwa Savage, David Oyelowo, John Boyega, Anthony Joshua etc are a few Yorubas who have taken their culture to the world. The Yoruba culture has been featured in many Hollywood movies.

3) Masai ?? Kenya – The Masai are perhaps one of the most documented tribes in Africa, with alot of documentaries shown about them and books written about their culture.

They are known for their traditional clothing and hunting skills

4) Hausa ?? Nigeria – The hausas are very popular. Often known as the Igbos of the North, The richest black man in the world Aliko Dangote is Hausa along with his brother from the same state Kano Abdulsamad Rabiu (BUA). Their culture has also been well written about and have featured in a few Hollywood movies including the Amazon prime series were a woman was seen eating Tuwo shinkafa.

5) Igbo ?? Nigeria – The Igbos are undeniably known world wide. Chinua Achebe wrote about the Igbo culture alot. They are known for their history, culture and literature.

The popularized the kolanut and palm wine through books, movies and music

Chinwetalu Ejiofor, Zain Asher, Ckay, Flavour, Chimamanda, phyno, P-square are Igbos who have taken their culture to the world. Igbo are known in Nollywood movies.

6) Swahili ?? Tanzania – This tribe have phenomenal spread their language in East Africa and a few central African nations.

In the 70s, their language was part of the African-American black pride movement been pushed forward.

7) Edo/Bini ?? Nigeria – The Binis are perhaps the culture in Africa with the most famous artworks outside Egypt.

Binis are known for their history, culture and art/architecture.

The famous Benin bronze, ivory and brass artworks are known globally. The country Benin republic gets their name from them. Benin art and culture have been featured in Hollywood movies including black panther. Many Nigerian cultures have roots in Benin. The bronze mask of Queen Idia is perhaps the most famous mask in Africa and one of the most famous in the world. Popular Edos are Kamaru Usman, Rema, Odion Jude Ighalo, Victor Osimhen, Dave, Sam Loco Efe etc.

Asante Ghana – This tribe are known for their history and culture. Popular American hip hop artist was named after this tribe Asante. Their Kente is perhaps the most popular African attire outside of Africa and were known to be masters of the gold craft.

9) The Fulani – This nomadic tribes are known for their history and culture. They are predominantly in West Africa and are found in 18 African countries. Most In Nigeria ??

Popular Fulanis or people with Fulani ancestry are Muhammadu and Aisha Buhari, Tafawa Balewa,

10) Berbers/Amazigh – They are predominantly found in North Africa. They are predominantly found in Morocco ?? and Algeria ?? They known for their use of silver silver. Their culture and history well documented and have a unique language and writing system that traces back to ancient Egypt. Books are currently being written about them including a book titled salt by Haitian-American Pascaline Brodeur.

Disclaimer: Every African tribe and culture is beautiful, unique and important. No one culture is more important than the other. This only highlights tribes known outside the continent overall, this doesn’t mean there aren’t other cultures that aren’t known.

PLEASE YOU CAN ADD AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR TRIBE.

[sahljournal]

In the Privacy of the Tuaregs

Photos by Ferhat Bouda, 2016.

Between the Sahara and the Sahel, around the cities of Agadez and Abalak, in central Niger, live Tuareg tribes who have chosen to move away from cities, new technologies and assimilation. They are still semi-nomadic, but only move their camps twice a year and only a few kilometers depending on the rising waters in winter.

Livestock raising is their main source of income. Since the 1960s, however, many men forced to leave the villages to go to work in the city and thus be able to support their families

Women, very proud, are the pillars of the tribes. Refusing polygamy, which is very widespread in the region, they are the ones who choose their husband and, at the slightest dispute, it is the man who must leave the house and leave the children and cattle to the woman. In many ways, it appears to be a matriarchal society, but decision-making remains in the hands of men.

Several distinctive signs give Tuareg society its authenticity, such as its habits and customs, its arts, its fashions and other traditional weapons.

Remaining nevertheless the linguistic organ which structures the culture of the Tuareg population. This organ is Berber and makes it an Amazigh entity in its own right.

[brightjimini]

(edit: after their response at the bottom i still stand by my decision even more now.)dear battinson community i will take my support of @hollandorks back because they blocked me after calling them out for promoting a zionist author who also used breonna taylors death for her promo.

if you still can see any of my reblogs on my account ignore them (i will try to remove them)

i am hurt that people in the fanfic community who try to be inclusive are not as supportive of the basic HUMAN RIGHTS rights THAT bipoc DESERVE

stop with this blatant silencing of people who are calling you out for supporting zionists and racists

ive personally already send a message to them about how what they are doing is harmful

do not send hate to them just don’t interact with them at all if they want to reach out to me i have said they could.

to be transparent this is what i send them

this is what i said to make them block me

anyway clearly as a woc (i am amazigh) this just hurts to see that others dont care about a genocide or the murder of an innocent black woman. just because a few smut books are more important?? is that it?

why do we even have to scream to be heard and then silenced because it makes some of yall uncomfortable

edit: (i am done 100% done and disgusted)

this was not all but enough to see

[signed-sapphire]

I have a really important question

So, as some of you may know, I'm creating an entirely-told-through-comic story of my rewrite of Disney's Wish. My rewrite changes Asha's personality to fit with who I enjoy to see in media, edits her design to make her less generic and more representational of the culture she is from, and adds a Starboy to act as her foil and trigger her character arc (as she does to him). Asha in The Fallen Star is a spoiled, Kusco-like princess insistent on getting her wish to become the greatest sorceress granted by her adoptive father, King Magnus. She doesn't care much for the people of her kingdom and yet still expects them to obey her every command. She's rude, self-centered, and sassy.

Now, I'm 100% on Korean, which means I am not black at all. So I've been doing some research about black culture and traditions to make sure I'm accurately representing Asha, even if it is in my own silly little rewrite. A great account I recommend following is @creatingblackcharacters, as they have so many good resources for writing black characters, especially if you're not poc.

For example, I cut out a scene where some children in Rosas braided Asha's hair with flowers (a reference to Tangled) because I learned that hair is a very important thing in black culture. I didn't want Asha to protest having people she was uncomfortable with do her hair because Starboy told her to be nice. Her braids are a special thing that connects her to her birth parents, and respecting that boundary was more important than shoving a reference in for me.

Now, I recently came across another article addressing the "angry black woman" stereotype in media. A pretty famous example of this is that patronizing and racist comic panel of Serena Williams. Essentially, the stereotype is suggesting that a black woman being angry is because she's a "beast" and "can't control her emotions" instead of thinking why she could be justifiably angry.

Here's the thing. TFS!Asha gets angry. She yells. She throws things and lashes out at people. She has visible muscles and a strong build. She makes threats and hurls insults. She loses control of herself at times. She has panic attacks and is closed-off and rude after she comes out of them. She's Kusco on steroids, basically, if Kusco was fueled by not only wayyyy to much self-confidence, but fear that if he didn't guard his heart, it would get shattered.

Part of Asha's arc is her learning to move forward (not move on) from her trauma as a child, when Stars rained down and killed her parents. She puts up with more stuff and learns to temper her anger, but she's still passionate. She's still witty and sarcastic. She's just opened herself up to other people, now.

Now here's my question: do you think my Asha is the "angry black woman" stereotype?

I can't think of any examples off the top of my head where this is shown nicely in media. If you do think that Asha is a caricature, please please tell me what could be improved! I really want to make sure I'm respectful of Asha's Amazigh heritage and to actually showcase parts of that if I can.

Sorry for the long read! TLDR; my Asha gets angry, but is she the angry black woman stereotype?

@annymation @oh-shtars @uva124 @your-ne1ghbor @spectator-zee @emillyverse @chillwildwave @rascalentertainments @mythartist21 @kstararts @ishadow246 @tumblingdownthefoxden @thisnameisnotspokenfor @dangerousflowerpanda @cocoapowderpictures

[roleplayhonestybox]

https://www.tumblr.com/roleplayhonestybox/762541577261514752/httpswwwtumblrcomroleplayhonestybox762540264

hiii guys im the anon that sent in the complaint to ocrpfinder. i am north african / amazigh myself. my issue is not that they didn’t know – i would have believed them if they did not respond back so rudely & if they hadn’t IMMEDIATELY doubled down their responsibility on the issue. if they said “sorry, i didn’t know this could be harmful, i’d appreciate if someone told me why.” i would have gladly explained (btw, i did this in another ask and they never posted my response.) they never apologized, they just served me excuses.

if i see someone reinforcing harmful stereotypes and visuals of my people i will advocate for myself. why is that an issue to some of you guys? do you, perhaps, have a problem with people of colour voicing their concerns? or our existence in this space altogether? did you think the rpc was a community just filled with people like you? why do you center yourself?

“art of the sake of art” is nonexistent in our era of politics and socioeconomy – you will be held accountable for the harm that you have committed.

this person is specifically asking for persia and andalusia so we’re left wondering why? like is it aesthetics? is culture just something to beautify a setting? whats the meaning behind specifically an andalusian setting? what does that say about that persons intentions? like maybe they’re just looking for their character to look a certain way – why? knowing that their character is going to be a woman, what does that say about how they see brown women from that region of the world? fetishization? intrigue? why? ask yourself the meaning behind this.

anyway, let’s all educate ourselves. https://theconversation.com/orientalism-edward-saids-groundbreaking-book-explained-197429

.