On Ciri

I may be late to the party, but this is a blog entry I feel needed to be made. Netflix' latest casting call for the role of The Witcher's own Ciri (whom in the books/games is pale skinned, ashen haired, and green eyed) has stirred the Internet for all the wrong reasons. Rather than speculating which actress would fit the role best, we've once again entered the Culture Wars because the casting sheet has called for a BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) (read: nonwhite) actress. What's the big deal?

I would have discarded this controversy, were it not for a perspective I had recently read. The Witcher (Wiedzmin in the original Polish) is more than just another run-of-the-mill Fantasy story, it's a Polish cultural milestone. Witcher is to Poland what Doctor Who is to the United Kingdom, Superman is to the US, and Ultraman is to Japan. It's more than a phenomenon, it's a cultural mainstay, a part of both pop AND national culture.

Why is this important? Because frankly, Poland has had it rough. When it wasn't being invaded by foreign countries, it's been ruled by unpopular politicians (putting it mildly). Now Poland isn't exactly an economic powerhouse; in fact, Polish people have negative stereotypes attached to them. Hate crimes against Poles happen with worrying frequency, especially in the UK.

Beyond Pope John Paul II, and that delicious meat known as Kielbasa, Witcher may well be the most well known Polish export. So a series based on what may well be the most famous, most beloved Polish work of all time may well have an obligation to honor the nation and the culture that inspired and nurtured it.

So why is this casting so controversial? Precisely because it DOESN'T honor Polish culture at all. This is an instance of Western media, once again, erasing foreign culture in favor of imposing its own values. This is disrespectful; culture is to be shared, not erased!

I'll be frank: Ciri should be played by a Polish actress. Call me a racist if you want, I do not care. And while I'm at it, I'll also say this: Geralt's actor should be Polish too!

By imposing this change, turning Ciri from a Slavic woman into some BAME, you erase many important parts of what made her unique. Erase her white hair, and you erase her physical connection to Geralt, a part of what makes their bond so easy and sweet. Erase her green eyes, and you erase her parentage.

I understand why one would want a BAME actress for this role: it's huge, and BAME actresses don't often get leading roles like this. And yes, many people opposed to this casting are so because of their (hopefully not overt) racism.

But imagine for a second if Netflix were to take "Journey to the West," THE quintessential Chinese novel, and cast the roles of Xuanzang and Son Wukong as white men. This would RIGHTLY be seen as disrespectful to the original Chinese work. In fact, this sort of thing has a name: whitewashing. Now to get into grayer territory: imagine someone adapting the Ramayana into a movie, and cast the leading roles of Rama and Sita as two African-Americans. Hindus and Indians would RIGHTLY SO feel disrespected! Or imagine the tales of Anansi, only Anansi is Japanese instead of West African.

Culture needs to be respected. If you want a generation to embrace diversity, GIVE THEM diversity: let them experience the plurality of human cultures, not just their skin colors. Because culture is meant to be shared, to be experienced first hand. The Poles have a wonderful culture and a proud history of overcoming adversity; let us embrace that culture and learn from it!