By: Gabriela Acosta Camacho

On May 17, 2023, we organized a first symposium from the Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts professorship to share knowledge about the Inclusivity Pathway Training, or the IPT. The IPT is a program that helps people in their skills to create inclusive learning/work and social spaces. The professorship has already conducted a course with the Dance Teacher training and the Theater Teacher training. An extensive report has been made to share this knowledge as widely as possible. Now it is time to share this knowledge with our colleagues in art education. In the theater hall at the ATD we met with professionals from no fewer than 6 different academies from the Netherlands (AHK, ArtEZ, Codarts, HKU, Fontys, Willem de Kooning) to experience part of the Inclusivity Pathway Training and share knowledge. 

All participants received a book and a pack of work cards that can also be viewed on the website. Later in the day there was room to exchange ideas with each other in smaller groups: what is going on at the different academies? What are we facing (nice to know you are not the only one) but also: what are we proud of and what initiatives are being taken? What can we celebrate together?

As a follow-up to the symposium, the trainers visited the participating organizations as sparring partners after the summer holidays. For example, I visited the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and spoke with Danai, Paul and Sylvia. It was nice to hear how they experienced the day and how the IPT was incorporated into their work practice. We talked about the transfer from the IPT to their specific workplace, and that moments of 'uncomfortability' can still surprise you: how do we deal with that? And is it possible to make room for that in training?

Based on practical examples and the theory of the pillars, the morning flew by. Curious about the reflections? Danai Fuengshunut (Education Station Coordinator WdKA) wrote a nice piece about it here. 

By: Aminata Cairo

Social justice and diversity are our topics of interest. Not only are we interested intellectually in what that means and how we think about those terms, but especially about what that may look like in practice. Secondly, we as a lectorate are particularly interested in what that may look like for our students. These social movements, from the streets to social media, are heavily represented amongst young people. Hence, it is a primary goal of the lectorate to engage our students around these topics. Our researcher Chadiedja Buijs went on pursuit within the AHK from November 2022 through April 2023 with the goal of engaging students and asking the questions, what do social justice and diversity mean to you and if given a platform to support you in these issues, what can that platform look like? 

What Chadiedja found is that it is hard to reach students through formal channels. Students are well embedded and protected by all kinds of structures, gatekeepers and heavy workloads. As frustrating as it was having this hard time reaching students, it was also informative. What does it say that our students are so burdened by an ever-increasing workload that they cannot even make time for the things they say they want to engage in? 

When Chadiedja used more informal ways to engage students, she learned that not only are students heavily loaded down by their workload, their mental health is often impacted as well. And thus, even though they might be interested in these topics, they don’t have the time and fortitude to address them given their current schedules. As disheartening as these findings were, again, they also informed us. Not only do we want our students to show up to the party, we want them to show up healthy, happy and strong enough to participate. We as a lectorate take these findings very seriously and look forward to incorporating them in our future work

What is it like to run towards trouble, rather than away from it? That is what Maxwell Mitchell talked to us about in June of this year. Maxwell Mitchell is a video activist who uses his iPhone as part of his justice work. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Maxwell picked up his iPhone to livestream the protests in the streets on behalf of Breonna Taylor and the Black Lives Matter movement. He did not put his iPhone down and consistently live-streamed for more than 1000 days what was going on, allowing millions across the US to have up-to-date information about what was happening in Louisville. Since then, his focus has expanded to include the three branches of government, and he livestreams people exercising their first amendment rights, 911 interactions, court, press conferences and city council meetings. 

His videos have been used in court cases and on behalf of people’s fights for justice. 

Maxwell uses his free running and yoga acrobatic skills to get the shots he needs. He shared with us what it is like to use your craft and commitment to a cause while having to negotiate your and other people’s safety at all times. It is not for the faint of heart, but definitely gave us things to think and talk about.

As a lectorate we have already ventured outside of the borders of the Netherlands as we have had projects that are partly executed if not inspired by partnerships in the United States (barbershop, rural voice). Now however, we are pleased to expand beyond our direct borders, but with ties to the Dutch kingdom.  We are looking forward to two upcoming projects, one with Suriname and one with Aruba.  Through one of the AHK’s alumni, Maarten Koole, we are linked to arts education teacher Geeta Orie in Suriname. Together they have been exploring exchanges between their students using story telling. They, along with retired teachers from Amsterdam Nieuw-West will become part of our endeavour to put the Story Circle method on the map as a valuable tool in the classroom.  

Secondly, our former Master student, now graduate Mina Emerencia will go to her home in Aruba where she will work with high school students on using dance to explore their story. In addition she will work with educators on how to use our IPT to help expand the story and start including more local history in the curriculum, including true references to slavery. We think it is important to be able to contribute to both Suriname and Aruba, while at the same time normalizing paying attention to the Netherlands as an expanded territory with an accompanying expanded, colonial historical impact

“Any body can dance”, that is the theme of ReDiscoverMe (RDM), a dance organization founded by Damar Lamers that is committed to making dance accessible to all bodies. Damar Lamers is also the artistic leader of the Dance Teacher (DD) program. The lectorate already had good collaborative relationship with the DD program because of the IPT research that was carried out with the whole department. When Barend Elias, a student from the ROC Amsterdam, did an internship at the RDM and indicated that he was interested in registering for the dance program at the AHK, Aminata and Damar started talking. Barend is visually and hearing impaired. Of course we want to welcome everyone here, but to what extent is the program also prepared to facilitate someone with other, non-standard needs?

A small study was then planned in collaboration with the lectorate, RDM, and the Dance Teacher education program. Barend and two members of RDM, Swindy Helm and Janne Groen, who are also alumni of the DD program, would investigate what exactly Barend would encounter if he were to enter the program and to what extent the program is really ready to welcome Barend. Supported by junior researchers David Cham and Mina Emerencia, who are also alumni of the DD course, they went on a quest through the ATD and also entered into many conversations with fellow students and staff about inclusivity within the ATD. This small study has been turned into a podcast where Barend, Swindey and Janne share their insights. There is a video about what Barend physically encounters when he enters the building, and there is an infographic with recommendations and points to consider. The goal is for us as an audience to gain a better understanding of what someone with special needs encounters or does not encounter here. We also hope that this material provides material for conversations and makes us think about what is really needed to allow all bodies to participate as RDM envisions

As the head of the Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts lectorate, it is more than fitting that I say something about what is going on in Israel and Gaza. Yet my first response in situations like this is to get quiet and go within, ironically with the risk of being judged as being complicit according to the mantra ‘silence is violence’. To me silence is contemplative, restorative or healing. Outbursts of anger, condemnation and judgment are easy and quick, and not unwarranted, but I also know there is usually way more than we are aware of. So, I need some silence first. In addition, I have very little faith in the media, especially in the Dutch media, which is notorious for biased and half-informed reporting, particularly if it is not about their own people. Sorry, but it’s true.

So instead, I get quiet. I go within and listen to that voice within, but also to listen to voices who know a whole lot more about the situation than me, like my brother Tayfun Balçik and so many others. I try to think before I speak and I would like to say something that adds and not just echoes what is already being said.

I have heard the Jewish voices who state that they are not Zionists. I have heard the voices that yell that Hamas does not represent all Palestinians, especially innocent civilians. I have heard voices about the right to defend, I have even heard a political voice that said we should just bomb Iran. It is insane. Everybody has strong feelings and opinions, has a whole lot to say and in the meantime people are suffering. 

So what can I say that can add something? What can I say that hasn’t been said before? Going within tells me that I can best speak from what I know. What I know is that this is about story, about our collective story as human beings. Ultimately that is always what any situation is about.  Who do we want to be as human beings? What does it require, and what are we willing to do? What I see playing out here, as horrific as it is, is nothing new. We have done this before, multiple times. Each time with beautiful, rational, justifications, only to scratch our heads later to wonder what we could and should have done differently. How could this have happened? How could we have let it happen, again? Are we going to stand by and let it happen again?

In our lectorate, as part of our social justice approach, we stress the importance of considering temporality, that is the expansion across time and space. At any given moment when we enter a story, there is always a story that was there before. We know for instance, that the attack on Israel by Hamas did not come out of nothing. There was a history of oppression, expulsion, colonization, and more. For the Zionists there is the religious story that once the land formerly known as Palestine was theirs. Whether you believe or acknowledge that story is not the issue. This is part of their story and justifies their actions. The Palestinians in Gaza became governed by Hamas after they kicked out the Palestinian Authority by winning the elections in 2007. Since 1967 Gaza and the West Bank have been on lockdown and restrictions by Israel with the support of many western countries. In those 50 plus years men have not been able to come to some form of peace, each side not willing to give in. Hence there are many different political and religious stories that exist and have existed that are in play here.

Temporality acknowledges expansion of stories in time, but it also acknowledges our story across space. What that means is that we are connected with our brothers and sisters in Israel and Gaza, regardless where we are. What does that connection do to us? What does it mean for us? If we really want change, can we ignore that connection? Can we use that connection to pursue change, even right here in our own private spaces? Do we fight for peace in the Middle East and then turn around and treat our neighbors like crap? If we want peace, tolerance, sensitivity, and sensibility, do we exemplify that in our behavior with those who are near and dear to us every single day, or only when we stand on the barricades?

Which stories do we hold on to and which stories do we need to let go off in order to write a new story together? This is a question I continuously ask in the search for social justice.  What kinds of sacrifices should we be willing to make if we want to disrupt the status quo, and are we brave enough to do so? If we want peace between Palestinians and Israelis, what could/would/should they be willing to give up of their own stories? Unheard of, impossible? Maybe, maybe not, but if we start from the premise that we are all connected, we might not have a choice. What we’ve been doing is not working. How do we use our voice, including our inner voice to change how we relate to each other? I come from a family of artists.  My aunt was one of the most famous traditional singers in Suriname. Her voice could make you stop in your tracks.  My god family are generational sound healers. They have taught me about the power of voice if used correctly. I don’t have any answers. And I shudder at the news of what is going on, just like everybody else. I do know that we can use our voices to disrupt and change the energy. But we have to be courageous and purposeful.

Singing was essential to the Civil Rights Movement in the US. Singing was essential in mobilizing people in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. I am reminded of when Haiti had an earthquake in 2011. Alongside medical help, the Cuban government sent the Creole Choir to sing and lift people’s spirits in Haiti.  My partner Rosa te Velde, along with organizations Arts of Resistance, metStem and music school Aslan have started a community protest choir. Through singing protest songs they are empowering people. They are changing people’s stories. I am not saying that singing will stop the war in Israel/Gaza. What I am saying is that we have to be brave and purposeful about using our voice if we want to write a different story for us. And if singing can inspire or empower us to do so, why not. But using your voice is not limited to singing.  Speak, write, connect to the (guiding) voice within, engage your voice in a way that makes sense to you, and in a way that can contribute to a disruption somehow. Use your voice wisely and lovingly and start in the here and now, where you are. Think about how you can expand that voice across time and space. Be consistent, be determined. We need every voice

By: Rosa te Velde

The 'Tuning in' protest choir started on October 2. Registrations poured in through the various channels of Aslan MuziekCentrum, metStem foundation, Arts of Resistance and the lectorate, but also through the pilot that we organized in March and April. Who is attracted by the idea of a 'protest choir'? Who is attracted to our research project? In the run-up to this project, it is a quest to find the right words.

The Netherlands has many choirs; there are more than 1.7 million Dutch people who sing together, according to the Koornetwerk Nederland. If you click on this website, the stereotypical image of who joins a choir, and how a choir works is quickly confirmed: the website shows serious, blonde women with open mouths, who diligently follow instructions from the choir conductor. In the run-up to this project, we come across more and more fantastic, socially committed choirs, where singing in harmony is certainly not the (only) starting point. The Queer Choir in Amsterdam, Ulrike Siems' climate action choir, the Zwaluw choirs in various cities and the Duniya choir. But also the Bijlmerkrakers choir from the 1970s, which Nadia Tilon discusses in this podcast.

Our choir aims to investigate how it can bring a group of people closer together and activate them. How can we connect to each other and to each other's stories of protest, strength, resistance and inequality? Not only through words, but also through the voice and the body.

The participants trickle in and soon Aslan’s canteen is full of people. They have diverse backgrounds and motivations. Some people want to sing for a good cause, others have experienced the power of singing together during Extinction Rebellion demonstrations. Others already sing in the neighborhood choir and are curious. The goal for the first rehearsal is to set the right tone, to make clear what we are about. Not by telling, but especially by experiencing together.

Fueled and inspired by vocal coaching, voice work, somatic therapy, psychodrama and the Inclusivity Pathway training, we do various exercises focused on breathing, concentration, group dynamics, voice and also on the content of the choir; about inequity and struggle. One of the sound exercises is about harmony and disharmony, about learning to listen to yourself and each other. Do you tend to seek harmony? Are you afraid of singing out of tune?

And of course we sang. This time: Bella Ciao.

A lot happens during the first rehearsal. It becomes clear how different people relate to singing, how people take up 'space', and who is willing to truly engage, connect and reflect. 

This project is supported by CoECI.

At the end of the school year, the first SJDA Summer School took place in the Culture Club. A group of amazing people with diverse interests and backgrounds came together for three intense days. “What does social justice look like in your practice?” was the main question of the summer school.

We ate, danced and swam together. We did an IPT session led by Aminata and worked with the five pillars. In addition, several researchers from the professorship contributed to this summer school. Mina & David provided exercise sessions. Paulina gave a presentation about 'decoloniality' and their path in it. With Paulina we made 'the book of you': a creative session about how the outside world sees you (the cover) and what is going on In the inside (the story). On the last day, Tayfun and Camiel organized story circles, which brought out beautiful, painful and honest stories.

Testimonial from a participant:
“The Summer School was a transformative and beautiful experience. From the beginning it created a safe space to share and listen and feel connected to the people in the group. In just a few days I was able to share deep connections and feel part of a community. It gave me tools and opened a path of working with social issues in my own artistic practice.”

In 2024, the summer school will take place during the Easter weekend

By: Camiël Kesser

In the 20th century the division between city and rural has grown bigger and bigger, or has it? We hear a lot of voices these days, some divided, some not. From the streets to social media, to politics, to the classroom, there is a lot going on. Some voices are louder than others. Who do we always hear? Who decides which voices are valid and which should be silenced?

We of the Lectorate Social justice and diversity in the arts deem every voice valid, especially voices that aren't heard a lot in the general discourse. Within the current social climate we have noticed that there is a particular group that we do not hear a lot, and that is the voice of rural youth. In a recent research project in the US where Aminata Cairo worked with artists and youth groups in rural Kentucky, Louisiana and Wyoming, she explored the power of the arts in giving voice to this overlooked population.  Inspired by this work, we want to give our attention to the voices of the rural youth. We also want to give our attention to (arts) educators.  How can we give voice to rural youth (using the arts) in the best way possible?  Meaning, once we amplify their voices, how do we make sure we actually listen to them? How can we use the rural voice and culture as a resource to better facilitate our young people, regardless of where they are from? 

Our partners in this research are the Applied University NHL Stenden in Friesland, ROC Twente, Creative Vakschool Zwolle Cibap (ROC), and Johannes Fontanus College in Barneveld. Our team which includes two students of the Master Arts Education program will utilize the IPT and the Story Circle method to engage youth at the three sites. Next, the youth will make a ‘"love letter" about what is most precious to them in their rural life. Finally we will try to discover if and how, through weaving the stories of the youth and their (art) teachers we can grow and strengthen the capacity of our teachers to become better facilitators of youth voices.

Aminata Cairo is stepping down as lector in Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts at the AHK from 1 January next. She is leaving the Netherlands to settle with her children in the United States. In recent times, she has experienced that leading a research group from the other side of the ocean is impossible. Also, the themes the lectorate deals with require personal proximity with fellow researchers, students and cooperation partners.

The professorship Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts started in August 2022 with Aminata Cairo as lector and Rosa te Velde as associate lector. It has quickly gained an important place in the AHK, as evidenced, among other things, by the great interest in the Inclusivity Pathway Trainings provided by the lectorate.

Aminata Cairo on her departure: “In the past year and a half, associate lector Rosa te Velde, our team and I have been busy building, doing, connecting, being with people and shaking things up. We started creating knowledge that was applicable and accessible. We did good things, but ultimately it was always about the people. Social justice and diversity are not easy concepts. They are not always “gezellig” and thus it requires handholding, sitting, listening, joining, walking, being present, and more. We did that, and after a year and a half I am happy and proud of what we have accomplished.
So when I came to the decision to move back to the US in order to be closer to my three children who all live there, it was not an easy decision. Steering a team from halfway across the world with a 7 hour time difference is not doable. But more so, the subjects social justice and diversity are about people and require a hands-on approach. These topics are volatile, sensitive, ongezellig at times, but also can change at the drop of a hat. You can’t phone in social justice work, you have to be present and available. I am grateful to my partner, my team and all the wonderful people with whom I have had the opportunity to work this past year and a half. I wish my AHK family nothing but the best with the faith that Rosa, my team and I have made some first steps in making the AHK an institution where social justice and diversity are embraced as something valid.”

The Executove Board is grateful to Aminata for all the energy with which she, together with Rosa te Velde and their team, laid a solid foundation for the further development of the lectorate. In the coming weeks, the board will consider together with the lectorate how to fill the research group after 1 January. Aminata will remain with the lectorate as a senior researcher from 1 January until the summer of 2024 to complete her work.