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With the Fifth book out and the end
of the third season on HBO, Game of Thrones (or A Song of Ice and Fire for true nerds out there) has pretty much solidified itself in American
culture. With that said, I know all you Blerds (black and brown nerds)
are wondering, “Where all the Black/Brown people at?” Well their there, you
just have to look for them. Westeros is essentially Britain with parts
of southern Spain thrown into the mix (you have to wait till they get to the
Martell’s which is kind of a desert people.)But the rest of the world is surprising brown when you think about it. So here's a compressive look at the Brown people of Game of Thrones
Where they at?
To find brown people in A Song of Ice and Fire, you have to
move away from Westeros and go south. Really far south. There’s an Island were
all African described folks seem to come from called the Summer Isles (think
the Caribbean.) To the east you kind of have Asian people in an area called the
Jade Sea. Then The Dorthraki are in the East as well and they’re brownish
though hard to put a finger on what. Lastly Slaver Bay seems to be made up of
Middle Eastern, which is problematic for a number of reasons.
The Show
These are characters that are played by Brown actors, actors
who consider themselves brown, or non-WASP looking people along with the breathing status of said character.
Grey Worm- Balless but Alive.
An Unsullied who was purchased by Daenerys, who later becomes the
voice of the Unsullied and her major advisor. Grey Worm’s races was never
specified in the books, but in the show he’s played Jacob Anderson, a light
skin British brother whose got a wicked spear game (pause). He speaks in monosyllabic
sentences and tends to brood a lot. But if you had someone chop off your nuts
you wouldn’t look so pleased either.
Salladhor Saan- Alive but looking for better Lighting.
Prince of the Narrow Sea, Saan is a pirate-lord and
mercenary. Because of his friendship to Davos Seaworth, he fought with Stanis
Bratheron in the Battle of Black Water. After losing he left, to go do pirate
things. Technically being from Lys (one of the islands of Braavos, which...man read the book) Salladhor is not black, but the
Zimbabwean actor Lucian Msamati plays him. Msamati is a pretty interesting guy
having founded a theater group and is a playwright and director. See, the more
you know.
Missandei- Bathing the Khalessi, and explaining obvious plot points
We at 5ivebruhs have dubbed her sexy translator chick, which
is kind of unfair. Missandei is a Naathi (one of the Summer Isles) slave who is
freed by Daenerys and becomes her translator in Slavers Bay. In the book she becomes one of Daenerys’ many
lovers, though the show only hints at it. Missandei is played by the oh so attractive Nathalie Emmanuel, a British
soap star. The shows have kind of regulated her to filling in the gaps that
would usually given to us by George R. R. Martin’s prose. Here’s hoping she
gets a little more interesting.
Xaro Xhoan Daxos- Locked in a Safe
Powerful merchant prince of Qarth, and overall douche bag,
he’s the first black guy to try to play the game only to get royally fucked
up.
By being a dick he got his men
killed, and he locked in a vault for all time. Shakespearean actor, Nonso
Anozie, whose master of the English Language didn’t exactly help him when he
got his ass beat, played him.
Talisa Maegyr- Knife in the Belly
Healer from Volantis, (one of the islands of Braavos) and
the reason Robb lost his head. Talisa is
played by Spanish actress Oona Chaplin, who is the grand daughter of Charlie
Chaplin and the great grand daughter of Eugene O’Neil (every theater nerd
reading this blog just had a nerdgasm…so one.). Even though Braavos are Olive
tone people, Oona considers herself “non-white” which puts her on our team.
Take that college application race checklist.
Khal Drogo- Suffocated
I’m starting to notice a pattern. Deanery’s’ crew is
starting to look like the rainbow coalition. Khal Drogo was the chieftain of
the Dothraki tribe that Deanery’s’ gets sold to. At first he’s kind of a dick,
but later grows to love her (granted she’s like 14 in the book and he’s 30 but
I mean age ain't nothing but a number.) He dies by some witch whose village he
burns down and because Deanery’s is a big old softy at that point. Native
Hawaiian/American Indian actor Jason Momoa played Khal Drogo.
Rakharo: Headless in
a Desert, Kovarro: I mean who even remembers this guy, Aggo: Some Extra who got
lucky
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| http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120402065824/gameofthrones/images/5/52/Aggo.jpg |
The Bloodriders of the Khalessi. Rakharro is played by
Asian/British actor Elyes Gabel, Kovarro is played Steven Cole who is very
clearly a brother, and Aggo was some random extra but because he’s Dothraki
I’ll lump him in.
Shae:
Washing Sansa’s bed sheets
Tyrion’s girlfriend, or that woman with that weird accent if
your American, Shae is a prostitute that is one of the few people who actually
likes Tyrion Lanister besides his fans. She’s played by Sibel Kekilli, whose a
Turkish German Muslim former pornstar turned award-winning political actress
who fights for rights of Islamic women (brain just exploded).
Random Slavers/Unsullied/Mercenaries: Running around looking scared, glowering as their slaves are taken away, or standing at painful attention hoping not to fuck the shot up.
As Daenerys goofs off around slaver bay she runs into an assortment of Brown faces that she either chops off their heads, burns, or frees from the bonds of slavery (there is no middle ground for this woman.) Luckily or unluckily these Brown or Olive people have been cast as tan looking extras. Also based on the one shot of the entire Unsullied army, it looked like the Patriots football line up, so we can assume there's brown people fighting off camera whenever some person runs into frame and regales us with a stunning battle monologue that we will never see due to budget restrictions.
The Books: These characters
were not included in the show. Which isn't a shame because they are pretty terrible written.
Jalabhar Xho
An Exiled prince from the Summer Islands, he kind of hangs
around Kings Landing hoping for an army to one-day take back his lands. He
usually just attends Tourney’s and flirts with Margery.
Alayaya and Chataya
Before I wrote this I didn't realize at least one of them gets a cameo. This is a shot of a random extra whom we assume is Alayaya or her mother Chataya. Because the show doesn't specify, I'm going to keep them here. Hoes that work for Tyrion and Varys. Alayaya is tortured
because she ends up taking the fall for Shae. Her part has been replaced by a
white character who Joffery shoots full of arrows in the show.
Balaq
A sellsword. Has white hair and rocks a shit ton of gold
rings like a Run-DMC reject.
Bill Bone
Old ass sellsword.
Moqorro
A red priest (like that chick who gives birth to shadow
monsters.) He’s currently looking for Daenerys but its unclear for what. He’s
a wild card at this point in the book and is quickly becoming a major plot point. So we may have another Black actor join the ranks in another three years. Describe as 6'2 with Black skin, with red tattoos
across his face. So Idris Elba? Like all red priest he knows more then he’s telling the
readers, but seems to have his own agenda. There isn't a google group for followers of R'holl, because none of them have any idea what the other is doing.
I find it funny that interacial couples are even still taboo today. I remember earlier this year Brudda J had a post talking about the Cheerios commercial that featured an interracial couple and their child. People went nuts over it Black people and White people alike. I sometimes wonder what its like to to be Asian, Hispanic or "other" and watch the Black people and White people complain about shit everyday. Anyway obviously race is still a very sensitive subject. Black peoples ears perk up if they hear the word "black" (in any context) uttered from a southern accent. Black people and White people still at times feel some type of way when they see couples of different races walking together. Well, usually its Black women that shoot that dirty look to a Black man and a White woman together. A Black man will give the proverbial "head nod of approval" when their girl aint looking. Funny how it works right? Sometimes I feel like at the end of the day we just want something to complain about but this post is not about interracial dating. We have covered that a couple times before. This post touches on what the more disapproving of interracial dating fear the most. Mixed race children.
My mother being the product of an interracial relation gives me special but not full insight into this issue. But I do remember the first major conflict I had when this subject was brought up. I was talking to this girl and we had been friends for a long time but were kind of thinking about being mroe than that and she brought up interracial dating and how she thought it was wrong and an afront to the Black race. I took major offense and told her that in some way I am a product of and interracial relationship and she said that I "didn't count" and continued to spew her ignorance. Needless to say, that relationship didnt go anywhere. I could write and incredible blog post about how that ended but I wouldn't want to embarass her. Anyway, this isnt the first time I have heard this. I have friends who believe that it is their responsibility to their race to marry a black woman/man for the preservation of the Black American family. What a crock of shit! That is so ass backwards to me its laughable. The funny thing is that interracial marriages and mixed race children represent a personification of the American Melting pot and the existence of more interracial people in our country will inevitably open up a brand new dialogue about race which can only bring about positive change. This is really ironic because most of the people who claim interracial relationships mark the dissolution of Black culture also preach equality and social justice. Are not interracial relationships one of the most symbolic public celebrations of that mentality?
