HOW A BLACKAMOOR GOT INTO PETRUSHKA

The article focuses on a regular character of the traditional Russian puppet comedy Petrushka – an arap (blackamoor). The author clarifies the functions of the arap in performances of Petrushka, makes suggestions about the way this hero penetrated into the comedy, and considers the historical and cultural context that made this representative of Africa so popular in various types of Russian entertainment and stage culture. The article explores the perception of a black person by ordinary Russians, the folkloric understanding of distant countries supposedly inhabited by Arabs. The image of a black man occurs in the folk drama Tsar Maximilian, performances of a black man (or an actor disguised as a black man), and in the arenas of circuses and show booths. The author recalls the custom fashionable among the Russian nobility in the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century to keep people from Africa as servants and lackeys, which is reflected in the paintings, sculptures, and literature of this period. A peculiar use of the image of a blackamoor can be observed in the theatrical art of the early 20th century.