The face of equality
There is a perception that those of us in the performing arts
are more liberal in our thinking and in our approaches. Liberalism isn’t bad; I personally think it allows room for
growth and evolution both personally and within societies.
But of late, I hear it used as a slur, especially when it comes
to political commentary. Anytime I watch a programme
about current affairs or the news (and then read the
comments section online), there is a lot of angry rhetoric that can be derogatory towards any “other” group of people unlike those expressing their unhappiness. Political divisions are causing tribalistic behaviours, with a Right-Wing vs Left-Wing mentality that sometimes verges on cult-like devotion. The worry I have is that as people become angrier, they become less tolerant, less caring, more xenophobic, homophobic,
racist, sexist, and so on. And those viewpoints become reflected in who they elect to govern, and as many of us know, those in power affect the shape and priorities of the performing arts sector.
To some extent, I do agree that we are more liberally
minded within the performing arts, though. In my opinion,
real liberalism often comes from those of us who are lower down the food chain and who work “on the ground”, so to speak. That also often means that we are not in any real positions of power or sectorial governing influence. There
is still a hierarchical system guarded by those of old, who dictate, through the distribution of finance and policy, what should (or shouldn’t) be considered important in the sector. And those “old guards”, as I see them, are not guided by liberal viewpoints, rather, their decision making is determined by political priorities based on the governing powers mandate. Then, there are those other “guards” who behave as the arbiters of artistic tastes and have, over the decades, systematically divided the professionalism and experience of artistic activities into highbrow and lowbrow, which, as I see it, is a thinly veiled code for what the rich can access versus what is for everyone else.
Some will argue that in the UK at least, there has been and continues to be measures to close the gap that maintains the inequality amongst us. I agree that this does happen and that we are more conscious of issues around disability, gender, ethnicity, and so on, and do deliver activities that sometimes break down barriers. But it isn’t enough. The face of the old guards and the arbiters of artistic tastes often do not reflect the face of equality, and those of us working on the ground feel like we are battling it out for the scraps of money and attention we need to survive.
Uprise Rebel was born as a vehicle to help promote diversity in the performing arts. The mission is to make visible the existing talent of Black and Global Majority females who work both on and off stage, as well as help grow new talent and expose Black and Global Majority audiences to the arts. Running the company over the past five years (and over 20 years of experience before that), I have found it is so hard to work in a space when you feel you are constantly met with resistance. There are many sectoral issues that are shared by most of us no matter what our focus is, but those of us that are classed as the “minority”, “underrepresented”, “marginalised”, or whatever the buzzword of the year is, feel that weight with more gravitas.
Equality does not mean that we are all the same; it means we should all be treated fairly and without bias. The issue I see is that those with the power, privilege or advantage do not want to share or relinquish their status or wealth to allow others not to feel repressed. Conversely, some do not recognise that they are at an advantage, so do not feel they have to do anything, and/or get actively annoyed with those of us calling for change.
Art is born from culture: our practices and experiences.
It is often used as a vehicle for expression, conversation
and reflection, and it can aid cultural preservation as well as cultural evolution. It can be disruptive, joyful, painful, ugly, beautiful, traditional, revolutionary, and anything we can imagine. So, let’s not just imagine change, let’s fund it, programme it, and give it as much support as it needs until all our faces are represented.
