The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Culture is defending its decision to approve agroup wearing Ku Klux Klan costumes during the country’s annual Carnival paradein the capital of Santo Domingo on Sunday, El Caribe reports.
Images of participants in the carnival dressed as KKK members sparked criticism of the Ministry of Culture, which is charged with approving the groups who request to join the parade.
In a series of tweets posted Monday, the government ministry said the group was part of a segment of the parade dedicated to commemorating historical events.
“Every group is free to choose their themes, whether using elements of the Dominican identity or universal culture in their costumes,” the ministry tweeted. Another tweet noted that the Dominican Republic is a “free country” where people are at liberty “to express their creativity.”
In a later statement, the Ministry of Culture said the group’s KKK costumes were intended as a criticism of the U.S. white supremacist organization that has often used racially motivated violence. The ministry’s explanation didn’t convince everyone. “If the point was to demonstrate the obscurantism of a historical period, the message didn’t come through!” said Twitter user Nieves Peguero. more
No comments:
Post a Comment