Movie theaters throughout Algeria have been banned from screening Barbie by government censors. According to a report by The Associated Press, Algeria’s Ministry of Culture and Arts sent out a memo this week telling all cinemas to “immediately” stop showing the film. Barbie has already been playing in Algeria for about a month.
Spokespeople for the ministry and the Algerian Audiovisual Regulatory Authority declined to comment on this directive or publicly explain its purpose. However, writer Leila Belkacem took a guess on Facebook, writing: “The Barbie film ‘is a threat to morality,’ they say. What morality are they talking about when the censors gorge on porn films at home? Aren’t you tired of dragging the country into your dark delusions?”
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Belkacem joined a very outspoken group of Algerian protesters online calling for the movie to be reinstated and questioning why it had been removed – especially after all these weeks. They used the hashtag “I Am Barbie” and proclaimed that this was an act of bigotry, nothing more.
Many reports have compared the situation in Algeria to similar censorship in Kuwait and Lebanon, where officials said they were banning the Barbie movie because it threatened conservative values. The announcement from Kuwait said that the movie promotes “ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order.”
Critics of this censorship have pointed out that the movie does not contain any overt references to sexuality or even LGBTQ+ issues. It does make very direct references to feminism, including political activism for women’s rights in the early and mid-20th century as well as academic ideas of feminism explored today. However, its themes have generally been summarized as an appeal for equal rights.
Barbie is a fantasy comedy where the iconic dolls are linked to their archetypal forms in an alternate world called “Barbieland.” The movie follows “stereotypical Barbie” (Margot Robbie) as she travels to the real world to figure out who is playing with her and why her psyche is gradually changing. While there, she learns that she is not universally beloved as a feminist icon as she previously believed, nor has her existence completely eradicated sexism. She finds herself as unsure of what to do next as anybody.
The movie was directed by Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the script with Noah Baumbach. It has been a critical and commercial success, earning over $1 billion worldwide. Some promising rumors that the movie will be available to stream at home as early as Sept. 5, but so far, Warner Bros. has not made an official announcement.
