Work

Global Cinema and Transnational Constructions of Race: “Princess Kouka” in Jericho (1937)

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In December 1936, producer Walter Futter announced that he had discovered a Sudanese princess named Kouka to play the romantic lead opposite Paul Robeson in Jericho (Thorton Freedland, 1937). “Princess Kouka” was not Sudanese, nor was she royalty, nor was she unknown. Kouka (née Nagiya Ibrahim Bilal; 1917–79) was an Egyptian actor who had been cast in supporting roles in Egyptian films. This article examines what media coverage of Kouka’s brief moment in the international limelight (1936–38) reveals about differing constructions of race across three race-conscious societies: the United Kingdom, where the film is made; the Jim Crow United States that Paul Robeson left behind; and colonial Egypt.

Source: International Journal Middle East Studies

DOI: 10.1017/s0020743825000145

Author: Deborah A. Starr

Institution: Cornell University

Language: English

Topic: Cinema History and Criticism

Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,550