IT'S MAY - which means it is Star Wars month (since May the Fourth sounds like the tagline 'May the Force be with you' mantra in the sci-fi universe).
Many things are planned for the fans, including Star Wars exhibitions, new TV series (Maul: Shadow Lord) and movies (The Mandalorian and Grogu) as well as fan gatherings.
Some would wish that images of their favourite characters would appear in school textbooks, so that kids would study about the Jedi Order or about the Siths.
But is it true that there was a school textbook which had an 'image of a Star Wars character seated with their leader'?
Verdict:
TRUE
The image was of Star Wars character Yoda, which was superimposed on a photograph of Saudi Arabia's late King Faisal, and the image was found printed in the country's school textbook in September 2017.
The image, which shows the small but powerful Jedi Master sitting beside the late king as he signs the United Nations Charter in 1945, was created by the Saudi artist Shaweesh.
When the issue was brought to light, Saudi Arabia's then education minister Ahmed al-Issa apologised for the production of a school textbook with the image, adding that said a committee was looking into the "unintended mistake".
A few days later, Saudi authorities fired a senior education official and other supervisors over the incident.
According to Reuters, the dismissal was also prompted by other errors in various textbooks, including history, chemistry, English language and religious education.
Shaweesh's 2013 artwork, entitled United Nation (Yoda), is part of a series in which symbols of American pop culture - ranging from Captain America to Darth Vader (another Star Wars character)- are superimposed onto archive photos of historical events.
Shaweesh said his initial inspiration was a photograph of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat standing beside Mickey Mouse during a visit to Disneyland.
He told the BBC that he was unclear how the image had ended up in the textbook.
However, Shaweesh stressed that he had meant no offence to the king, who helped transform Saudi Arabia into a modern state and an actor on the world stage.
"Everyone loves King Faisal here, even the younger generations," he was quoted saying.
While we might not see images of our own state leaders with Star Wars characters in school textbooks anytime soon, fret not. Fans can still celebrate the month and read more about how the original movie, which was released in 1977, has continued to shape today's technology (https://www.thestar.com.my/
Until then, may the Force be with you.
Sources:
1. https://www.bbc.com/news/
3. http://edgeofarabia.com/
