Catalyst for Social Change
It’s All So Terribly True: The Filmic and Dramatic Arts as Catalysts and as Barriers to Social Change
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kerric Harvey
Drawing from material generated by her 15 years of original academic research on the role of the cinematic and theatre arts as techniques for catalyzing social change, the author introduces a new way of thinking about the arts within a political context. She argues that in an era of “fake news” and strategic indifference to factual verifiability as a component of public decision-making, it is more crucial than ever to understand the subtle as well as the obvious ways in which popular film and commercial theatre can affect public opinion about the self-perception of “mainstream” populations as well as the representation of minority and disadvantaged groups, and, subsequently, contribute to shaping public political attitudes regarding all of these groups. Specifically, the author provides a capsule analysis of ways in which theatre and film have materially impacted the public political discourse surrounding LGBT rights, and concludes with suggestions for ways in which social justice stakeholders and community activists can capitalize on the power of performance as an element of social change protest.
Engaging with Visual Redress at Stellenbosch University: Decolonising Spaces
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elmarie Costandius
The traces of colonialism are still deeply embedded in South Africa, and this is reflected in its higher education institutions. Stellenbosch University, in particular, has a history that is strongly tied to Afrikaans language and culture that is evident in the lack of historically diverse and inclusive statues and artwork on the campus. Research conducted over the last four years, and currently continued by various members of the Department of Visual Arts at Stellenbosch University, has suggested a need for more extensive and engaged discussion with all stakeholders on campus as the first necessary step in addressing and then transforming the aesthetics (and hence politics) of the shared space of the campus. The aim of the project is to maintain and develop a public conversation on decolonization on campus and work towards more permanent structures/installations and changes in the visual language of the campus. The project recognises that the theme of decolonizing space on the university campus is one that invites varying intensities of interest – from activism and curiosity to distance and fear. We utilise the critical and social potential of the arts to probe these issues in an open-ended way to create the scaffolding for students to explore issues of racial discrimination, social justice, hegemony, exclusion, cultural expression, history, pain, and identity.
