Xinjiang the musical sings to Beijing's tune of ethnic unity

Beijing (AFP) A new state-produced musical set in Xinjiang inspired by Hollywood blockbuster “La La Land” has hit China’s cinemas, portraying a rural idyll of ethnic cohesion devoid of repression, mass surveillance and even the Islam of its majority Uyghur population.China is on an elaborate PR offensive to rebrand the northwestern region where the United States says “genocide” has been inflicted on the Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.As allegations of slavery and forced labour inside Xinjiang’s cotton industry draw renewed global attention, inside China, Beijing is curating a very different narrative for the troubled region.Rap songs, photo exhibitions and a musical — “The Wings of Songs” — are leading the cultural reframing of the region, while a legion of celebrities have seemingly unprompted leapt to the defence of Xinjiang’s tarnished textile industry. Beijing denies all allegations of abuses and has instead recast Xinjiang as a haven of social cohesion and economic renewal that has turned its back on years of violent extremism thanks to benevolent state intervention.The movie, whose release was reportedly delayed by a year, focuses on three men from different ethnic groups dreaming of the big time as they gather musical inspiration across cultures in the snow-capped mountains…
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