News of the Clintons' latest project has ignited intense online conversation over its purpose and what it represents, especially after Holywood Reporter revealed production plans of a TV Drama that narrates stories of Kurdish female fighters against ISIS.
Minorities are either neglected or talked about as if we are only third person, never first person. @HillaryClinton would be great if you consider taking a look at what Kurds write too, some authentic #ownvoices stories.@NY_Protagonista @chriskepner https://t.co/Rhzi1UIkyW
— @Avahoma (@AvaHoma) January 25, 2021
According to Hollywood Reporter, the Hidden Light Productions owned by the former first lady and secretary of state Hilary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea is planning to create a TV drama based on The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice, which is yet to be published next month by Penguin Press.
In the book, American journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon chronicles stories of brave Kurdish female fighters who took it upon themselves to fight the ISIS terror organization as it spread its control over Kurdish territories in northern Iraq and Syria in 2015.
However, the Clintons' plans to turn the book into a movie have sparked a lot of backlash across social media, as commentators perceived it as "an orientalist move in which a former US politician is trying to make a profit from others' struggles."
“Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Developing Female Kurdish Militia Drama for TV”
— Elias Jahshan | الياس جهشان (@Elias_Jahshan) January 26, 2021
Me: pic.twitter.com/Qp1FbFpsyb
It may well be a good series, but former Secretaries of State creating shows about rebel groups in other countries is a terrible idea.
— dhanuraashi (@dhanuraashi) January 25, 2021
Would the Clintons be okay with FM Sergey Lavrov creating fanfiction about the Boogaloo Boys, or even Hezbollah?
Other social media users highlighted what they described as "the danger in US politician's involvement in narrating stories of countries the US is still involved in," saying that "it doesn't reflect well on US policies."
