Monday, April 28, 2008
Closing thoughts
As I write this final blog I think back on the impact that this class has had on me as I grow in this craft of performance. It has opened a new sense of cultural awareness for me. Before i just concentrated on getting my message out the way I saw things no matter how other people felt. But now I realize that it's not just about me but its about us. Us as theatre artist, us as a nation, us as the human race. We all have the same stories, but we just take different paths. Perhaps one day our paths will finally come together and get pass the trivial that some only see. Perhaps one day we can say I things this way and you do things that way but if we put them together like this then maybe we can have that. Perhaps that was the point that the second group tried to present to us in their final. As I close I want to challenge not only my classmates, but everyone who reads this to make the effort to try and connect paths with someone that is unfamilar to them. If it just starts with one person here then one person there then we as theatre artist can help fuel a movement to reconciliate each culture throughout the world because of that we (to quote my favorite politican) can have change we believe in.
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2 comments:
Reading your post, and hearing your call to action, I couldn't agree more. This class has had the same effect on me. Just learning about other cultures in class sparked my interest to study abroad in Africa, and I wanted to experience an opportunity that would allow me to not only develop my craft as an artist, but share that craft with those from another culture. Being an actress, it is necessary to understand people, places, and situations that are different from your own; on the contrary, it is also necessary to bring a great deal of my own experiences to each character played. It is widely beneficial to experience as many different things as possible to open up my perspective in order to embody someone else’s circumstances. Visiting a different culture in another country is one of the most directly diverse experiences we as theatre artists can have. I feel as if it is a monumental opportunity to help me further learn what it is to truly understand something that is outside of my familiar self, and my comfort zone. Experiencing racism in my own country pushes me in my desire to learn about others who are different from me, and to accept them as they are. Being an African American woman, much of my heritage lies in the very slave trade that took place on the shores of West Africa, and I believe that this trip will not only help me to learn more about others, but also help me to gain a better understanding of who I am and where I come from. America is now the comfortable, convenient haven that I call home; however, not long ago was it a horrific and oppressive culture that enslaved and disintegrated an entire race of my ancestors. I believe it is important to visit the place that my ancestors took that journey, and to pay homage to those who have suffered and died in both Africa and America. One of the things that was most surprising to me when doing my interview for Nigeria, was the negative reputation that African Americans have in Africa. I would like to help eradicate those stereotypes and really try to learn more about my heritage and where my ancestry actually lies.
I agree wholeheartedly. Amy's class helped to create a paradigm shift in me that now recognizes the similarities of humans around the globe. This semester represents for me, one of the first times I've been able to discuss race, on peaceful terms, in a multiracial setting. The experience for me has been eye-opening and enriching.
It began in China with a discussion of racism in a country that apparenty discriminates by color only as far as it represents the amount of work one would have to do in the sun. The main questino from the Chinese students was "What are African-Americans doing to help their situation?" I responded that by being in college and graduate school, we are, individually, preparing the way for those who come after us by continually raising the bar of education and success.
Then to come to class and be able to discuss the plight of the black man in a class where I was the only one, was exhilirating to say the least. I was neither ridiculed, degraded, ignored or berated. In fact, it was the complete opposite. I found myself being supported by people who had come from a different experience thatn mine. Moreover, I found myself being able to relate more easily to the experiences of other people.
The literature also broadened my horizons, because it illuminated the nature of oppression throughout the world. It also highlighted the power of nationlism and cultural heritage. It seemed that throughout the readings, that whenever a people regained their knowledge of self and amassed their determination, that those same people overcame their oppressors.
As a history geek, I truly enjoyed dabbling a bit in the backgrounds of the native cultures and getting a sense of how the history of these cultures was influenced by colonialism, imperialism, or isolationism.
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