For British Blacklist 19.09.14 – http://www.thebritishblacklist.com/shakara-speaks-it-boycott-human-zoo-power-black-art/
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On Saturday 13th September I had the honour of pouring Libation at the Boycott The Human Zoo demonstration which took place at the Barbican. Special shout out to Sara Myers, who gathered the hundreds and amassed 20, 000 signatures (and counting) in protest against what is little more than an insult to the humanity of our ancestors.
For those who may not be aware, “The Human Zoo” is officially entitled ‘Exhibit B’; a so called “art” display conjured up by the mind of White South African, Brett Bailey. It features the bodies of Afrikan men & women in a live art format replicating the actually human zoos that were popular around Europe during the 17-1900s. Though this is the admitted inspiration behind the artist’s choice of exhibit, Mr. Bailey attempts to deny to racial implication of his “art” when attempting to explain its purpose:
‘Exhibit B is not a piece about black histories made for white audiences. It is a piece about humanity; about a system of dehumanisation that affects everybody within society, regardless of skin colour, ethnic or cultural background, that scours the humanity from the ‘looker’ and the ‘looked at’ “
So while the piece is not about Black histories, but rather“Humanity… regardless of skin colour” , Exhibit B still manages to feature exclusively Black bodies who will become the viewing pleasure of majority white audiences. This disingenuous explanation becomes ludicrous when it is considered that it would be relatively easy to include many different human bodies “regardless of colour”.
In a classic case of mixed messages, the Barbican explanation reads:
“The piece aims to explore the relationship between Western powers and Africa, ranging from exposing the abhorrent historical attitudes to race during the colonial era to questioning how far our society has moved on by holding up a mirror to contemporary issues…”
Pay attention to the juxtaposition between “Black & White”and “Western powers & Africa” in these quotes; are they seriously attempting to suggest that there is a difference between both dynamics? It would seem so, and there are some among the Black community who would support the“exhibit” and the intentions behind it. For those of you who do, I put it to you that if the dynamic between western powers and Africa were to be truly explored, especially within those same western powers, maybe the use of exclusively white bodies would have had far more value as art and as a social statement.
It continues to amaze me that while discussions of the Maafa (Afrikan Holocaust), that centre on the issues of Reparations continue to be deflected from via tales of Irish, Scots, Romans and others who have no doubt suffered, when engaging slavery purely for the purpose of commentary, white “artists” know how to find exclusively Black bodies.
In a previous ShakaRa Speaks – “Is It Now Time for a Film on The Enslaved Afrikans Who Fought Back?”, I address a point mirroring one made by Akala in relation to “Exhibit B”:
“Perhaps the Barbican would consider an exhibition with live white people used as dummies to pose as the many thousands of slave masters and overseers our ancestors majestically hacked to death during the Haitian Revolution?”
Such an exhibit would have a profound impact on perceptions – which brings me to the essential issue: In my humble opinion the level of debate that takes place among the Black community on issues like this has to do with the extent to which we understand the nature of “White Supremacy”. In this context, demonstrations for me are less an attempt to appeal to Whites in influential position, but rather a tool for appeal and education among ourselves. Quite frankly, what others think of us is irrelevant in the face of what we think of ourselves and how we perceive “exhibits” like the Human Zoo, will inevitably say something about how we see ourselves.
In the words of Assata Shakur:
“Nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them.”
Therefore the idea that you can solve such issues by simply exploring ideas and perceptions of oppressive nations is a farce. Ironically, Brett Bailey’s nation of birth is the classic contemporary example of this. South Afrika is a nation that for the past 20 years has engaged in the biggest international mass media campaign on changing racial perceptions ever in human history. Once the image of racial degradation, the “rainbow nation” is now promoted as an oasis of racial harmony among the many atrocities that take place in the world. In spite of this however, little has changed in the living conditions of Afrikans and the White minority still dominate the land and the economy, reaping the rewards of the rape committed by their enslaver ancestors.
So it is necessary for Black people to overstand, we do not solve issues of White Supremacy by showing white people how wicked they, or their ancestors were. We do not even solve it by getting white people to understand why “The Human Zoo” is wrong. We only solve the problem when we are prepared to address the issue of POWER! As strategic and as effective as boycotts demonstrations and protests can be, in order to address the issue of power it is necessary to move beyond them. The real power lies in our ability to take charge of the narrative by telling our own story through our own art. The absence of that realization is exactly what empowers European “artists” to feel they have the universal right to define when and how Afrikan narratives should be represented.
People who are connected to their history and culture take charge of how it is represented before the world. The art that tells the story of said people is most often developed, defined and projected by them on their own terms, in their own interest. Therefore the rest of the worlds engage with them on those terms, within the parameters that are defined by them. It is therefore necessary for Black people to address the dynamic in which Non-Afrikans are for the most part the conduit through which the stories of the most sensitive aspects of our history are expounded upon.
By way of providing a positive example; The same day as the Boycott the Human Zoo demonstration, TBB’s own Kunga Dread hosted “Welcome to Busseywood”, London’s premier free Afrikan film festival. Among the features at the event was a screening of “Oya: Rise of the Orisha” , Nosa Igbinedion’s creative super hero take on ancient Yoruba spiritual tradition, exploring the relationship of contemporary Afrikans to our ancestors. Also showcasing were the crew of ‘All Knightz’, the UK’s number one Black 
Comics producers who in ‘Hard Wired’ have developed a futuristic Sci-Fi thriller based around the socio-political realities of the Afrikan continent.
My point is there are many who are creating and showcasing REAL ART that speaks to the Black experience. Such art goes well beyond the bounds of welling up feelings of sorrow for the suffering by our ancestors. It rather honours them by restoring their dignity and providing a new discourse on the possibilities for Afrika’s future, from the perspective of Afrikans ourselves.
For more info on the campaign Visit: http://boycotthumanzoouk.com
So if these other events promoting positivity and enlightenment of our culture were available on the same day as the protest, why weren’t our efforts into promoting that? It would to me have been a far better and more useful boycott.