Representation Of Black Africans/ Ethnicity In WaterAid

Question 1

What is Stuart Hall’s Theory of Othering? And how does it occur to charity adverts, like WaterAid?

Answer 1

• Othering is the attributing of negative traits to those who are perceived as ‘different’.
• It is most common in charity adverts to see negative representations of ethnicity, where the characters are defined by their otherness and difference.
• Constructed through emotive images and negative language eg. “Famine” “Hunger” and “Disease”.

Question 2

Does the theory of ‘othering’ apply to the WaterAid advert?

Answer 2

• Hall’s theory of othering can be shown because Claudia’s lifestyle and her surroundings are seen to be very basic/ primitive.
• Also, the young kids out doing manual jobs/ domestic chores would usually in Western Culture be seen at school in the day, shows perhaps a lack of education.
• The surroundings seem to not have many buildings and is full of crop fields, not typical to how Western audiences would be used to; houses, shops etc.

Question 3

How does the WaterAid advert challenge common stereotypical representations of ethnicity?

Answer 3

• In African charity adverts, the situation/ ethnicity is shown as being quite hopeless, sad, bleak etc. Rain for Good is different from other adverts in this sub-genre as it uses visual codes to construct a more positive representation of underdeveloped countries and ethnicities.
• However, the kids/ people in this advert are not shown to be hopeless, shown as happy and positive. Not ill or sad/ despondent.
• Normally contain melancholy Non- Diagetic music, however the WaterAid ad mudic is sung by the African children, mainly Claudia, and is upbeat and Diagetic, mesning the characters can hear the song themselves.
• The costumes/ clothing that the people in the WaterAid advert is wearing is shown as being bright and clean, many of the kids in other African charity adverts are shown wearing dirty rags and not ‘proper’ Western clothing.
• In other charity adverts there is a lot of Desaturated colour, to make the environment and the lives of the African people seem bleaker, however, in the WaterAid advert this is not the case.
• Shows clean water, shows an actual positive change through donations.
• Also, shows happy facial expressions.

Question 4

How does the WaterAid advert challenge common stereotypical representations of ethnicity? (Cont.)

Answer 4

• It challenges stereotypical representations of ethnicity in charity adverts by giving a voice to Claudia. She is shown to be the central protagonist who is in control of the situation and active, not victimised.
• The camera shots establish Claudia’s independence, and the close up shots of her singing show that she is confident on her journey/ task. This subverts the more common stereotype of ethnicity where African kids and women are victimised and constructed as helpless.