WORDS FROM WELL KNOWN BRITISH ACTOR, PATERSON JOSEPH: A theatre show was closed down at the Barbican due to the perceived threat to audience and performers from a group of protestors angry about the piece and its alleged racist content. In an article I wrote in 2012 I argued for the inclusion of Black people, whitewashed from traditional historical storytelling, and cited the furore surrounding Jane Campions recent film, Wuthering Heights. The thrust of my defence of her inclusion of a mixed-race Heathcliffe was that Black people were largely ignored in our countrys history in the mistaken belief that we were not present before the middle of the 20th Century in the UK. EXHIBIT B, the disputed but acclaimed piece by Brett Bailey, took the brave step of opening up the debate about the place of Black people in our countrys narrative. The shocking scenes of men and women shackled and displayed, as they once were, in the Human Zoo, should have sparked a healthy debate amongst those concerned with the objectifying of black people and cultures. Instead we had a knee jerk protest by many people who if they were honest had only read reviews or heard on the grapevine about the shows content. They were successful in shutting the show down with their scare tactics and silenced the discussion that could have come out from this thoughtful and provocative piece of art. My sadness lies in the fact that if we never talk about our past then we can never move on from it. If were not allowed to revisit brutal, but seminal, moments in our historical interactions with colonial powers then how are we to consider these moments in a visceral, arresting and ultimately cathartic way? The proud comment of one protestor, reported in The Times, represent for me the nadir of cultural blindness and fear, We showed them the show will not go on and we shut it down. Our ancestors would be proud. Their memory will not be used for art. But Art is often about connecting with our antecedents, not just in their pomp and power but also in their objectification and exploitation. That is as much part of our story with the white people we encountered as as our prouder moments of triumph and excellence. If we cede the storytelling ground to whites who want to express their ancestors memories, good and bad, we will be left with a strange, diluted re-invention of our own story, without acknowledging the truth about our whole past. Gagging art is more commonly seen in totalitarian regimes and intolerant religious societies, and I for one want no part of that. Let artists of whatever ethnic background be at liberty to express their thoughts and feelings about everything that makes us human. The alternative is a profound and forced silence that can only serve to squash honest dialogue and truly kill the conversation about race, ethnicity and belonging; a conversation that may well be hijacked by people from both camps who are truly racist. Paterson Joseph September 2014
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 21:55:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015