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Last night, PBS aired a Robert Gardner documentary called “Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain.” In the New York City metropolitan area, it premiered with high definition at 9 p.m. on PBS’s Thirteen New York. However, it did not take high definition technology to see that PBS partnered with a film company in airing a racist re-enactment of what more historically accurate was a period known as Moorish Spain, from 711 AD to 1492 AD. Specifically, African, Arab and Sepharidic Jewish people should be offended by this whitewashing of a monumental period of history that directly led to the enlightment and age of exploration of Western Europe. Clips of Cities of Light can be viewed via the Bright Cove website.

This documentary fell short on actually revealing the contributions and delinquent in revealing an accurate racial makeup of Moorish Spain - a phrase that was not uttered by the many professors and the like who were interviewed (they instead opted for the oft repeated Islamic Spain that is the equivalent of doing a documentary on the Ottoman Empire and only referring to it as Islamic Turkey or, more properly, Islamic Europe-Asia never once saying Ottoman Empire. WTF!!!). The era supposedly chronicled by this show is called Moorish (Moros) Spain in English. The real name is of major importance as when one uses the term Moor of whom does one think; the fictional Othello, perhaps? A-ha! But there is more…

The reason the production was racist and more of a political construct than anything else is because aside from, maybe, 5 extras the re-enactments of the period were an all white cast; from Visigoth (okay, this would be accurate), to Sephardic Jew (uh… not too European white looking for that time period considering they were North African/Asian/Sephardic and not Ashkenazim-German-Russian Jews), to the Berber and Arabs (the Moors…. heck no! At that time, they could not pass for white in a dark room with no light!!). The documentary had more poltical motives than historical ones at it relied heavily on retelling how the Sephardic Jews at the time (remember re-enacted by white people) served to preserve and meld together the history of the time-period. Now this part is true but not accurate because the filmmakers left out the African (read: black) element of the Jews (who would, in many cases, have had large segments who looked identical to the African and Arab invaders) and the Moorish relationship. Not to mention that the invading Moors also had Jews among them as co-invaders!!

Now, let’s get back to the erroneously racist productions. How do I, an amateur, know that the Moors were black? Some are thinking: Couldn’t they have been white? I mean, they were from North Africa and were Arabs and everyone knows, by watching American TV, that they are all white except for a few blacks (who probably were slaves back in the day). That is a lie then and now. I know that the Moors were “black African” (a phrase many white people like to use as the attempt to divide Africa into geographic racial areas whereas African Americans know that Africa = black, in its many shades, ethnicities, nations, etc.). I know this from the primary sources of the period (which the interviewees… far from scholars; unless of course it is the directors fault in the editing process … should have cited). The Greeks and Romans described dark skinned Africans using terms like Mauros and Maurus, respectively, both of which mean black people; as synonyms for the ethnic groups within these same “Mauros/Maurus” they aslo used Ethiope (as in Ethiopia), Afer (from one source in which Africa is derived), and Niger (from which Negro would later be derived). All the terms described black people from the Southern/Eastern European perspectives and even in the egymologies of the oldest English language dictionaries. (Rogers, J.A. “Nature Knows No Color Line” 1980, pp.55, 72-73). Long before Moorish Spain, its root words were being used to describe many black people of Africa.

However, most important were the chronciles of the primary sources. What are primary sources? That would be people who wrote exactly what they saw because they were there and a part of it!! Contrary to what the documentary showed (Moorish conquest of part of modern-day Spain), the Moors actually conquered parts of Southern France and were stopped short of Paris (in Tours) by Charles Martel’s army. They also controlled and invaded Sicily and parts of Italy including raiding the Vatican (and later reselling their stolen goods back to the Pope when Jewish people served as intermediaries). In any case, one primary source wrote of the French invasion that occurred in 700s in an epic poem called the “Song of Rolond” (ca. 1100, written years after the invasion but the Moors were still in control in parts of Europe during this period). Fortunately, this poem describes in vivid detail exactly what the invading forces looked like. Now, you tell me if this is black or white:

At their head rides the Saracen Abisme[Saracens are Arabs and Abisme is his name believed to be related to Abyssinia]: no worse criminal rides in that company, stained with the marks of his crimes and great treasons, lacking the faith in God, Saint Mary. And he is black, as black as melted pitch…

[Another excerpt from “The Song of Roland”]

Ethiope, is a cursed land indeed; The blackamoors, from there are in his keep, Broad in the nose they are and flat in ear, fifty thousand and more in company.

[Okay, now we know that they are black and there are plenty of them. One more quote from that work.]

When Roland sees that unbelieving race, those hordes and hordes blacker than the blackest ink - no shred of white on them except their teeth…

(Source: Van Sertima, Ivan; editor; Brunson, J. & Rashidi, R., authors; “Golden Age of the Moor,” Transaction Publishers (New Brunswick, NJ), 1993, p. 43.)

Well! That was interesting, wasn’t it! The invaders were black Arabs (Saracen, specifically) as black as melted pitch (note, picture originally from this blog) and blacker than ink (Original this source). Some are thinking: But wait, when I do a Google search on Saracen, I see white people! The Saracens were white!! Uh oh, we already forgot that I am quoting primary sources of what white people, of the era, said the Saracens looked like. What you are seeing are depictions that are NOT primary sources. Those are not the eyewitness descriptions of people of that era.

For instance, there is more. The 13th Century Dutch epic poem called “The Romance of Morien” is part of the King Arthur Legends of the Round Table. Morien is a Moor who is described in the work as “…all black his head and his hands were all black saving his teeth… Moors are black as burnt brands. But in all that men would praise in a knight he was fair, after his kind… Morien… blacker than any son of man whom Christian had ever beheld.” (Rogers, p. 56)

When I read the above, it reminds me that the Cubans have a peas and rice dish called “Moros y Christianos.” Now, ALL of the Caribbean eats peas and rice (or rice and peas, as some would say). But, the thing is that the type of pea or bean changes. If you are in Jamaica, you would have a red kidney been with some spiced up/slightly coconut flavoried rice (Picture Source); whereas in Trinidad & Tobago a brown pigeon pea is used and the rice is spiced using a burnt sugar method that turns white rice brown (Picture Source). I don’t know what Haitains do but I have had a dish with peas that are black and the white rice is seasoned to a black color as well (could not find a picture of the dish I had). However, in the Cuban dish the rice is clearly white (Christians) and the peas are clearly black (Moors). But, I digress…

A Christian monarch Alfonso X (Alfonso, the wise. (1221–1284)) and creator of his work the “Cantigas de Santa Maria” was part of the reconquest of white Christianity over the Moors. His Cantigas are part of translations of works and research done by the Moors. The instruments are not native to Europe. They were instroduced from the East (including Africa, Arabia, and Asia). Let’s look at what he said of the Moors (another primary source):

[describing the Moors who attacked the Castle of Chincoya as] black as satan.
[Source: Van Sertima, I.; Brunson & Rashidi, Golden Age of The Moors, p. 28.]

[and…]

Los moros de la hueste todos vestidos del sirgo et de os panos de color que ganaran … las caras dellos negras como la pez el mas fremoso dellos era negro cmo la olla

[Translation] All the Moorish soldeirs were dressed with silk and black wool that had been forcibly acquired… their black faces were like pitch and the most handsome of them was like (as black as) a cooking pan
[Source: Van Sertima, I., editor; Pimienta-Bey, J., author, Golden Age of the Moors, p. 184.]

In addition to Alfonso’s words is the art that he included in the Cantigas. (NOTE: These are primary source images done at the time. Not some artist rendering of his/her imagination!!) The first image (chess) is directly from the Cantigas. Others are other primary source images.

Primary Source Pictures
• Noble Men Playing Chess - The Moors introduced chess into Europe (ironic, isn’t it). Chess was invented among the dark races of India (even more ironic, isn’t it?). The original name was “Oh, King!” (Ya! Shah!) (Source: Van Sertim, I., editor; Chinyelu, M., author; Golden Age of the Moor, p. 362)
• Muley Archid - Brother of Muley Ismael, both of whom were Princes of Morocco. Both had same parents but there is no known sketch of Muley Ismael. Archid, Arsheid, did have this sketch, circa 1670s. Ismael was prince at the end of Moorish Spain on the European peninsula. He was said to be a principal in the European slave trade of white women into Africa as sale for harems (another prevalent part of Moorish culture omitted from the PBS documentary). Ismael, himself, was said to have 25,000 white slaves, of both genders, who built his palace in Meknes.
• Moor’s head in Heraldry - This is contempory of the current Pope’s Coat of Arms. I could not find online pictures of the numerous coats of arms with Moors heads which are African in appearance. The only debate I have with the site is that the pictures are of slaves. Often, the moors have wrapped heads and are featured with scarves or crowns and are not connected with slave-trading family business.
• Moors in European Hereldry - Here is a more accurate description of its use and primary source pictures of coins and artwork featuring Moors. One more link on Moors’ Heads, which are depicted as black people. Again, here is the heradly for Zurich with Moor’s heads connected to Euroean family names.

Another picture that is beyone the Moorish Empire but is used to epitomize the typical male Moor is Austrian painter Eduard Charlemont’s The Moorish Chief (click this for the story behind the painting). This picture is often used in Shakespeare’s Othello promotions as well. This was the first Moorish picture that I saw in my history of Spain textbook when I was in high school. It was the only picture as the Moors themselves would not have created graven images of themselves as it was against their faith. Therefore, we have had to rely on European pictures and descriptions as well as Arab historians written descriptions. I once saw a print in a bookstore and had a conversation with another patron who suggested that the figure looked like Bobby McFerrin (it was the 1980s and “Don’t Worry Be Happy” was playing every other minute). I think he was right. There is a resemblance.

Finally (for this part anyway), there is all the post-Moorish Spain literature that addresses Moors and characterizes them as the blackest of blacks.

On pages 74-75 of Rogers work, he writes of Christopher Marlowe’s “Lust’s Dominion” (also known as the “Lascivious Queen” in which the lead character Eleazer, Prince of Fez (Morocco) has the Queen of Spain as a lover and she has his child. It was written before Shakespeare’s Othello and refers to the Moroccan as Moor, Negro, and black interchangeably. In 1659, Richard Brome wrote “English Moor in which he uses Blackamoor, Ethiop, and Negro interchangeable. Then, of course, there is Shakespeare’s Moor of Venice, “Othello,” who is described by his nemesis as having a “sooty bosom.” [Also, is described as a black ram when defamed by Iago and “far more fair than black” when being defended by the Duke.] However, Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus aslo decribe Goth Queen Tamora’s love of Aaron the Moor (also described as being a Negro).

I write all this to say that, no doubt, there were blond haired, blue eyed Moors of Moorish Spain. However, the overwhelming majority were black - very black as per sources - Africans and Arabs of the Islamic Faith. It is critically important to retell history in context. The shotty work done by Gardner and PBS (for airing it) would be like me doing a documentary on the history of Norway and casting all re-enactments with Sengalese (including 5 or six white Sengalese for good measure) then airing it in, say, Far East Asia somewhere where they are not familiar with Norwegians. It is no wonder that those seeing the documentary would believe that the Norwegians were Africans ( a few light ones among them).

Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain is an insult and an attack on African and Arab people everywhere. It is a blatant attempt to whitewash and Europeanize history that is not white. Think of this: If the Moors were phenotypically white, wouldn’t they have ALWAYS been part of American history books!!??!!

SHAME ON PBS!! (The BS is the only correct part of the station’s call letters when it comes to airing this racist documentary.)

More parts to follow,
Deidra

I leave you with a Youtube video of present-day Mauritanians.
Mauritania

Popularity: 100% [?]

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 10:14 am and is filed under History & Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.