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No illusions

September 2022

The arts and culture sector is on the move. Awakened during the pandemic by a BlackLivesMatter and #metoo movements, followed by an internal official complaint in the form of a public letter signed by over 600 professionals (“We see you, white art and culture sector”), there is a call for a more inclusive sector. There is a request for multiple voices and broader representation in content, participation, decision making, funding allocations, etc. Ultimately this is meant to contribute to a richer society where the wealth of our stories will be fully appreciated.

Diversity plans and initiatives are flying off the shelves like hot cakes. Arts institutes, production houses, museums, theaters, everybody has jumped on the bandwagon. Everybody is searching. Beautiful and inspiring things are being said and written, but what does it all mean in terms of action?

Nobody has spoken to that as crystal clear as Alida Dors in her State of the Theater address on September 1st. She did more than speak. She embodied the message via winti tradition, hip hop flavor, dance, music, and spoken word in order to reverberate her message within her audience on a visceral level.

“Never before was there such a sense of unity after a state’s address”, it was written in the Groene Amsterdammer. “A thunderous applause”, wrote the NRC. People were moved and days later I was still receiving emotional and inspired reactions from people.  In her own authentic way Alida had reminded everybody that this work is about US, and invited people to join the dance that would require a few steps forward and a few steps back. It might be painful and uncomfortable, but that is the road we have to take.

Her plea was so clear, and yet… The next four days her production RIOT was presented. An interdisciplinary piece consisting of dance, theater, film, and music in which the audience is taken on an interactive experience with the complexity of everyday conflicts.

Interestingly, not one reviewer was present. And of course, not all performances are reviewed, but you would think that after such a State of the Theater address in which Alida challenged, invited, and encouraged the cultural sector, you would think her artistic contribution could serve as an important entry point for more insight and guidance.

And so we see behind the curtain to expose how the cultural machine works to maintain the status quo. “We were too busy. There is not enough staff.  This is a regional and not a national performance. This is not pure dance or pure theater.” So sounded the words of excuse. “We must make choices”, Alida said in her address. We must dare to question the “This is how we always do it” rhetoric and replace it with something new.

Culture sector we see you, or rather, we didn’t see you. Your silence says a lot, but like Alida says: “Your silence will not protect you.”

Alida my sister, I see you too. I stand beside you and have our back. We make no illusions about this work, what we encounter and what it demands. In spite of the setbacks we know that there is a movement that cannot be stopped. One of us equals many of us.

Aminata Cairo, Ph.D.

Check out the visual essay of the State of the Theater van Alida Dors. You can watch the full-lenght State here (in Dutch).

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