Sloan Mitchell - Attending a Performance: Mississippi Masala Screening at the Spelman International Film Festival (2 Points)

 

The Beauty of Intertwining Cultures - A Mississippi Masala Film Review 

    If you haven’t already, please watch Mississippi Masala, directed by Mira Nair.  The 1991 film encapsulates the wonder of various cultures and the meaning of unconditional love.

    The film follows Mina, whose Indian family is expelled from Uganda under the rule of dictator Idi Amin.  Seeking a fresh start, they resettled in Mississippi.  There, Mina meets Demetrius Williams, a young carpet cleaner, and the two fall in love despite their families’ concerns about their racial difference.  As tensions rise, their families and surrounding communities clash, putting impossible pressure on the couple’s romance.  Mina and Demetrius eventually choose their growing love over giving in to their parents’ societal expectations.

    Beauty is explored through the intimacy of Mina and Demetrius’ relationship.  Despite their different backgrounds, they found each other and created a meaningful connection.  Demetrius is from the rural south with the burden of creating a name for himself in a white-dominated space.  Yet, he was able to truly love his Blackness in the midst of racism and Mina’s family telling him he isn’t right for their daughter. 

    I connected the film to the ADW course we take at Spelman.  Many fail to realize that there was a significant Indian population in Uganda.  Mina’s father, Jay, grew up in Uganda and believed he was a part of the people.  This identity as a Ugandan was ripped away from him when all Indians were expelled from the country, with the claim that “Africa is for Africans.” His struggle with identity is a topic we explore in ADW, as Jay places his Ugandan nationality above his ethnicity.  A similar connection appears in the Voice of Sidis documentary, where the Sidis discuss their East African ancestry, their role as devotees of the saint Bava Gor, and their dilemma of being both fully Indian and culturally African. 

    The film also beautifully addressed race.  One of my favorite quotes:

    “Well, Miss Masala, racism or as they say nowadays, tradition, gets passed down like recipes. Now, the trick is, you gotta know what to eat and what to leave on your plate. Otherwise, you’ll be mad forever,” Demetrius says.

“And you’ll never eat,” Mina says.

    The idea that racism gets passed down like a ‘recipe’ is something that we are seeing in our world today, as prejudices are often learned within families and communities rather than formed independently.  Just as a recipe is shared from one generation to the next, these harmful beliefs can be normalized until people choose to question them.

    Mississippi Massala questions those beliefs and offers a powerful depiction of how love can break down racial and cultural barriers.