Open letter to the Galway International Arts Festival from Boycott the Human Zoo Campaign

Open Letter to the Galway International Arts Festival from Boycott the Human Zoo Campaign 

14^th July 2015



John Crumlish, CEO, Paul Fahy, Artistic Director
Galway International Arts Festival
Administration Office
Black Box Theatre
1 Courthouse Square
Duke Road
Galway
Republic of Ireland


Dear Mr Crumlish and Mr Fahy

We the undersigned are writing to you regarding your inclusion of the racist installation 'Exhibit B'in the 2015 Galway International Arts Festival.

As the Boycott Human Zoo Campaign; a coalition of anti -racist, Black community organisations, arts organisations and trade unions, we want to be clear that Exhibit B is not simply a ‘controversial’ art installation; it is an installation which features racism both in its content and in the process by which it has come to be put into the public domain.

As the UK campaign group Boycott the Human Zoo and associated organisations, we engaged in extensive public consultation and dialogue with people across communities in the UK and internationally. The overriding opinion was that the performance installation ‘Exhibit B’ is racist and immensely offensive and the curator Brett Bailey's alleged ‘educational’ message is lost to the point where it is a parody of itself and manifests the racism it claims to challenge. In addition, Mr Bailey's evident lack of understanding of the subject matter, and his disconnect from the social and political climate, results in distress, anxiety, tensions and public protest as seen in the increasing global voice - which continues to increase exponentially - requesting that the work be decommissioned and removed from programming in their towns and cities globally.

The recent protest events seen in the UK, Paris, Amsterdam and Brazil are part of a global response to the constant and continued de-humanisation of Black and migrant communities across the world.  After consideration, the city of Toronto refused to allow the exhibition to take place there due to the negative impact and offence it would cause for Black communities.  It is simply not enough for the artist, commissioners and venues - all of whom are speaking from a position of white privilege and none who are qualified in determining what is and is not racist - to state ‘it is not racist’; and that their word is the final word. A consortium of experts in racism, prejudice, discrimination and inequality from across the world have on multiple occasions unpacked and explained the ideology and methodology of racism that is prevalent in the process and accompanying actions of both the artist and the commissioners and hosting venues, and why the piece and the commissioning process are both examples of how racism manifests in the 21^st Century under the framework of inherited draconian and archaic decision making that replicates and reinforces its colonial origin.

Hosting this installation and ignoring the vast surge of public opposition suggests that whereby politicians, organisations, institutions and select individuals can set the parameters of what is acceptable and accessible or not, we – the voice of the people, and particularly the voice of Black  people and communities– have no say. Our voice is being censored whilst at the same time we are being accused of censoring art for standing up to racism. Our profound understanding of racism in both ideology and methodology is dismissed. That in and of itself  is a clear example of the systemic and institutional racism that continues to manifest in current times.

Our collective voices include those that have seen the exhibition and actors who auditioned and declined involvement as well as those that have participated. The collective voice resulted in petitions in several countries including 23,000 signatures in the UK and of 20,000 in France. in the UK the organisations that make up the Boycott Human Zoo Coalition total over a million people in membership.

Over one million people around the world are saying ‘No’ to ‘Exhibit B’ including politicians, academics, activists, community leaders, artists (writer, poets, rappers, visual artists and musicians) plus ordinary people, black and white.  Each one of us see it for what it is, highly offensive, deeply insensitive and a tool to uphold the system of white supremacy and privilege that allows this work to be projected on society, while reaffirming that the attitude of white superiority and automatic entitlement is somehow acceptable and unchallengeable and takes priority over all else.

The protests against ‘Exhibit B’ in the UK successfully related the message that this piece should not have been shown in the UK and its intended run at a London venue was cancelled. Our ongoing work clarifies why this is not about ‘censorship’ - the predictable and lazy response for supporters of ‘Exhibit B’ - it is about the disconnected and uninformed process by which this piece came to be commissioned. It is not anti-art but anti-racism.

The artists and commissioners of these kinds of offensive propaganda manifestations veiled as art are stating they wish to have equality of access to appropriate or misappropriate diversity of culture and life experience, while at the same time being completely devoid of that same said culture or life experience being any part of the initiation or fundamental decision making process. The result is a juxtaposition notion that it is somehow acceptable to have discrimination and under representation in the decision making process of the very meaning of what equality is. 

To suggest, as the artist does, that the mere existence of his piece is a form of anti-racism and initiates dialogue is an arrogant and subversive appropriation of the real work that goes on to challenge racism through honest and legitimate artistic, academic and political means and methods. ‘Exhibit B’ is not part of the solution, it is part of the problem – as can be seen through the vast protests and the subsequent treatment and depiction of the protestors.  The resulting irony of the modern-day dehumanisation, demonstration and harassment directed at those speaking out cannot be ignored.

It is incredibly naive and condescending of the artist and the supporters and funders of ‘Exhibit B’ to suggest that we somehow ‘don’t get it’. Not only do we understand on a profound level which the artist would never begin to understand; we do not know the issues by association, we do not understand the topic vicariously, we do not dip in and out at times of our own choosing and we do not engage by selective appropriation. We live with covert and overt - and all the subtle nuances of racism - and live with the consequences and legacy of historical racism daily.

This piece is a propaganda vehicle for the artist as we have observed though our close inspection and observation over the past year. The inconsistencies and contradictions in the artist’s explanation, justification and narrative of his work are evident to anyone who took the time to read the articles and social media posts by Brett Bailey. The artist revealed he neither understands the subject matter with which he is using as his artistic playground, nor the results of his folly.

The extremely misleading literature contained on the artist’s website provides statistics relating to where the installation has been shown and favourable reports, it does not however refer to the overwhelmingly larger number of people that have opposed its residency in their towns, cities and countries.

It is profoundly disturbing to see the sheer level of physical force used against Black people who speak out against ‘Exhibit B’. That the army was brought in and the protesters were tear gassed and pepper sprayed for standing up and exercising their right to protest in Paris, is directly connected to a resurgence of the civil rights movement reminiscent of the 1950’s that we see across America and around the globe.

Are the civil rights activism of the past decades and centuries to be forgotten so readily? Does the Galway International Arts Festival think this crude regression is the image the Republic of Ireland and the people of Galway want to send as a message as to how it views Black and migrant people?

Is one man’s quest to insult and offend, whether inadvertently or unintentionally or otherwise, of more importance than those who live in a country, where they are now revisiting the oppression and subjugation of the past that manifests in nuanced neo-colonialism and neo-liberalism, which condescends us with; “this is good for you”, “you misunderstand”, “you are uneducated” and “we know best”? An artist who reinforces racial stereotypes and actively practises racial profiling calling the intelligent campaign of opposition to his work an “angry violent mob” and dehumanising the protesters and feeding the stereotype of Black people in mainstream media. All this despite there being peaceful protest with no record of violent incidents.

It is essential to understand that the finance and resources available to the artist, producers and commissioners of ‘Exhibit B’ create a luxury of time and opportunity by which to voice their views. This luxury of time, finance and opportunity are not afforded to those who call for its decommission. That in itself reveals the inequality at play here and the systemic construct of white privilege that frames this matter. It is by no coincidence that there was an extraordinary imbalance of available resource between the campaign initiated by an African-Caribbean-British mother from Birmingham who was incensed enough by the racism of ‘Exhibit B’ to start an online petition and The Barbican and it’s all white senior management and board of governors who nonchalantly signed-off the commission without any consultation with, or understanding of, the communities who feature within this installation, a community who would ultimately pay the price of the racist installation.

The road to equality is not through the production of ‘Exhibit B’ and art that reinforces racist stereotypes, it is in the ceasing of commissioning of such works and a change in the procedures and processes by which they come to be commissioned and access to opportunities for black artists.

It is one thing to support art and freedom of expression, but it is something entirely different to support racism and propaganda guised as ‘art’- the publicity of which only serves to benefit one individual; the artist - who will ultimately be reaping the promotional and economic benefits long after the alleged installation ‘message’ is forgotten.


It is for all these reasons that we call on Galway International Arts Festival to decommission 'Exhibit B' from its program. 

As you have programmed 'Exhibit B' as part of your Galway International Arts Festival, we kindly request that you furnish us with all the details of your consultation process and those you engaged with - particularly from Black communities - in order to obtain your decision to proceed with this commission. It is of significance  that Galway International Arts Festival receives 28% of finances from public sector grants - which brings with it further requirement for transparency and responsibility.

There is a real opportunity for art institutions and politicians, who themselves are significantly lacking in diversity, to understand how we stop the cycle of inequality, division and discrimination and work together on the solution. The decommissioning of ‘Exhibit B’ is a start.

Yours Sincerely,

Sara Myers, Founder of Boycott the Human Zoo

Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK & PCS Union NEC, Poet, Visual Artist & Curator

Lee Jasper, National Co-Chair BARAC UK  & Movement Against Xenophobia Steering Group
John Mullen, Collectif contre Exhibit B, France
Marcos Ferreira, Contra Exhibit B, Brasil

Donna Guthrie, BARAC Women's Officer & UCU staff Unite Branch Executive Committee

Paul Richards, Creative and Educational Director of BrazenBunch & UpRise

Rosemary C Adaser, Founder Member, Mixed Race Irish
Sharon Murphy, Black Irish & Singer, Songwriter 
Ngoma Bishop, Author, Arts Campaigner, & Chief Officer of BEMA
Austin Harney, Chair Campaign for the Rights for the Irish Communities (CRAIC) & SERTUC Race Relations Committee Secretary
Zena Edwards, Spoken Word Artist & Creative and Educational Director
Adrienne Frye, British Black List 

http://boycotthumanzoouk.com/

SEPARATED BY BRICKS, MORTAR & WHITE PRIVILEGE: REPORT ON THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST EXHIBIT B IN FRANCE

SEPARATED BY BRICKS, MORTAR & WHITE PRIVILEGE: REPORT ON THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST EXHIBIT B IN FRANCE:

By; Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair BARAC UK & Boycott the Human Zoo Campaign UK 

From August to September 2014, black community organisations,  anti-racist organisations, trade unions,  artists and individuals came together to form the Boycott the Human Zoo campaign against the hosting of Exhibit B in London by The Barbican.  The campaign petition, started by activist, Sara Myers, gained over 20,000 signatures but the organisations that formed the campaign represented over a million members.

Exhibit B is an art exhibition by white South African, Brett Bailey. Thirteen installations feature black actors, who are not allowed to speak or move in a re-enactment of human zoos and ethnographics popular during the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. There is no narrative on the resistance to colonial rule by black people, no celebration of our achievements or acknowledgment of any other aspect of our histories . The exhibition is insulting, offensive and racist. 

 

The Barbican was reluctant to engage with us and on the opening night of the exhibition we protested outside the venue. The Barbican cancelled the London showing of Exhibit B that evening.  They then issued a statement which sought to demonise protestors describing us as threatening and extreme. http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-2721-When-prejudice,-power-and-privilege-join-forces,-resistance-is-necessary#.VH5PUmeS5EM

At the end of November Exhibit B was hosted by the Theatre Gerard Philip in Saint Denis, a suburb of Paris with a high black population.  As with The Barbican the theatre is a cultural centre where the works of local black artists are seldom seen. In France a petition initiated by historian and lecturer John Mullen has gained over 20,000 signatures and black community groups together with artists and anti-racists have organised a campaign against Exhibit B being hosted in St Denis and in Paris, opening on 7^th December.  

artwork by Zita Holbourne

On the opening night of Exhibit B in Saint Denis hundreds of campaigners protested. They removed the sets of metal barriers in front of the theatre and a window was broken. Protestors spoke with those coming to see Exhibit B and some turned away as a result of the protest and the rest of the evening’s showings were cancelled.

The press demonised the protestors, resorting to personal insults directed at the organisers and the same kind of negative, offensive and nasty comments directed at campaigners in the UK against Exhibit B, branding them as extremists.  One of the campaigners, musician Bams, appeared on a major chat show alongside white sociologists, supporting Exhibit B, who had the audacity to try to tell her, a black woman that she did not understand racism or anti-racism!    

 

A public debate that was supposed to take in a spectrum of views, including representation from the campaign against Exhibit B, was cancelled, according to the organisers ‘because of the extremist nature of the protestors’.

On the following night two hundred or so protestors were greeted by hundreds of riot police and French armed forces, National Gendarmerie sent to intimidate them. Despite this, protestors stood firm and chanted demanding ‘Respect!’ and ‘Dignity’.  Some went to speak to spectators and engaged in discussions about why they were there. 

 

Brett Bailey claims that he and his art are anti-racist yet his response to the abuse and intimidation of protestors in defence of his art was; "My performers are full of fire. My team is full of fire... Rage, rage against the dying of the light. The show will go on,"  It is quite incredible that he can claim to be against racism and to be creating his art to challenge racism but have no concern about the police violence black people are facing as a result of it. 

On the third night, the police and armed forces became even more violent using tear gas and clubbing protestors.

It is horrific that black people in France are being brutalised and demonised for standing up against Exhibit B. It is astonishing that any artist would find it acceptable to put on an art exhibition surrounded by armed police in riot gear, barricading the entrance to it,  whilst attempting to terrorise and intimidate black people. 

Sketches by Zita Holbourne

Writing for a South African newspaper, Bailey entitles his piece ‘Blood on the Tarmac’ referring to a protestor he witnessed being brutalised by French police.  He describes watching from the safety of a window inside the Theatre, the security arrangements put in place to try and frighten protestors off. 

He says ‘But out there on the floodlit street, beyond the barricades, this is not understood. Those people have not attended the performance. None of this is really about Brett Bailey or EXHIBIT B’.  He claims that protestors have not understood his art because they have not seen it in the same way that board members at The Barbican said that we could not say that Exhibit B was racist because we had not seen it. This is a ridiculous argument, I don’t need to see the BNP attack a black person to know that they are racist and in any case  the Barbican, bar one board member,  had not seen it before deciding to book it.  He then has the arrogance to suggest that the protests are nothing to do with his exhibition but to do with the racism that black people face in society, the same racism they are facing now, demonised, labelled and threatened by police, politicians and the media.  But Bailey does not engage with the black people he purports to care so much about, he does not even appear to recognise the irony of his claiming to produce anti-racist art which is protected by racist police, who attack black people.  Bailey goes on to blame not his art but activists in London for what is happening now.

 

Brett Bailey looks on protected and separated by bricks, mortar and white privilege, from the living reality of black communities facing deepening racism globally. When asked if he is ‘following’ what is happening in Ferguson, he replies ‘from afar’. It is not possible to distance yourself from racism but at the same time claim to produce anti-racist art.

Protestors here and in France have been accused of censorship of  art, but  we have never called for the work to be censored but for arts institutions to withdraw from hosting it, acknowledging the negative impact on black communities and taking action to address institutional racism in the arts and culture sectors.  Both in the UK and in France campaigners against Exhibit B have included a range of artists.  We are not anti-art but anti –racist.  Rather than being for censorship, we are for equality, humanity, dignity and respect.

Solidarity with sisters and brothers in France standing up to the voyeuristic, racist, demeaning and insulting human zoo. 

 

The exhibition reopens in Paris at the Cent Quatre (104) and runs from 7^th to15th December and there will be more protests taking place - please give your support to them.

VICTORY FOR BOYCOTT THE HUMAN ZOO CAMPAIGN - AS PROTESTORS CLOSE DOWN THE ENTIRE LONDON SHOW

ARTWORK BY JON DANIEL

After a month of campaigning against the degrading offensive racist human zoo  exhibition - known as Exhibit B, hosted by the Barbican, the 'boycott the human zoo' campaign has succeeded in closing it down on the opening night of the exhibition.  

This is a victory not just for the team of campaigners  which BARAC UK was proud to be a part of and who worked tirelessly, several behind the scenes, but the 22,500 people who signed Sara Myers' (who led the campaign) petition calling on the Barbican to withdraw the exhibition. Plus all the organisations that formed the campaign, representing over 1 million members as well as every individual who took part in the campaign.

We sent a clear message to The Barbican and to all institutions that are racist that black communities in the UK will not stand back and be disrespected. 

We have succeeded in stopping the human zoo in London but it is due to go to other countries, so a global response is needed.  Here in the UK a public inquiry and serious measures to address the deep rooted institutional racism that exists in the arts and culture industry  which is amplified by austerity and cuts to arts funding is needed. 

Drummers line the entrance to The Vaults

A fuller update will follow including details of a victory party. Please note and pass on that, as a result of the the entire London show being cancelled the planned protests outside the vaults for the rest of the week are also cancelled.
                                                                                      

Celebrating our Victory with some of the organisers of the campaign

Zita Holbourne, co-chair of BARAC UK with letter from the Vaults confirming the cancellation of the entire show

Protestors outside The Vaults Entrance (boycott the human zoo art)

 
                                                                                         

Sara Myers who started the campaign and petition with Co-Chair of BARAC UK, Lee Jasper & letter confirming cancellation of the show

Protestors block the entrance

Donna Guthrie, BARAC Women's Officer who handled the campaigns social networking

 


Thank you for your participation in this campaign. People Power! Collective Action! Unity!

CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE BARBICAN'S RACIST HUMAN ZOO - I AM SOMEBODY -1 MILLION RISING

Protestors outside Guildhall

    Last week two significant protests took place in London, in opposition to the racist, offensive and horrific Human Zoo exhibition to be hosted by The Barbican. Probably for the first time ever, the City of London Corporation, owners of The Barbican, was lobbied by black community campaigners. Organisations and individuals, including BARAC UK demonstrated outside Guildhall as members of the Corporation entered to attend their regular Council meeting.  

Image by Zita Holbourne

As a result of the open letter that BARAC UK sent to the Chief Executive of the Corporation, a meeting was facilitated between campaigners and members of The Barbican Board and Management. At this meeting we informed The Barbican that we would be handing in the petition of over 20,000 signatures that Saturday and requested that a senior officer received it. This was acknowledged. 

Lobbying the City of London Corporation (with representatives of Unite the Union, BARAC UK & BEMA)

On Saturday 12th of September protesters marched to The Barbican for a rally outside before the planned petition hand in.  The organisations represented not only on the day but who have signed up to the campaign represent over a million in addition to the 20,000 plus who have signed the petition. Speeches and performers were accompanied by drummers. Children and adults carried banners with the words ' I am somebody' and 'I am not an object on them'. 

March to The Barbican

 Tafadwa ShakaRa Mbandaka  performed the opening libations, the proceedings were compered by Paul Lawrence. There were poetry performances by Akala, Zita Holbourne (Co-Chair BARAC UK) & Anthony Anaxagorou and speeches by  Sara Myers (Petition author),  Zita Holbourne, PCS & TUC Race Relations Committee, Donna Guthrie (Unite), Lee Jasper, Co-Chair BARAC UK, Kehinde Andrews, OBU, Austin Harney, CRAIC, Paul Richards, UpRise and Hilary Mohammed, Nation of Islam. People were drawn out of the Barbican and surrounding businesses by the presence and sound of the protest.

A video of the rally can be viewed here.

Lee Jasper, co-chair of BARAC speaks

 Disgracefully when it came to the point of handing in the petition, The Barbican failed to provide a senior representative to receive it, despite the discussions with them on Thursday about this and despite the fact that a senior Board member had been visible during the protest, viewing proceedings from a balcony.  Instead they sent as their representative, the Head of Security who acted with hostility. As a result, it was agreed that the petition would not be handed in that day and a subsequent event would be organised for the hand in.

Zita Holbourne, Co-Chair of BARAC performs poetry

Donna Guthrie, Unite member & BARAC Women's Officer

Brett Bailey's Human Zoo is neither art nor empowering. Yet this is what The Barbican have tried to tell us, that if we were to attend it, we would be empowered and educated.  Quite clearly those of us that have a lived experience of racism do not need educating about racism and we are certainly not going to feel empowered by a re-enactment of historic or current racism. Last week I wrote for The Voice Newspaper on this; Read here. 

image by Zita Holbourne

In fact, when we met with the  predominantly  white (just one black member) Barbican Board and Management and asked them how many of them had seen the exhibition, only one had, so it's laughable that they should try to 'educate' anti racist and black community organisations about racism through this horrendous exhibition.

The campaign continues and we will continue to call for the only positive solution to this horrific display of racism, masquerading as a creative artistic expression, a boycott on not just Exhibit B, which will be shown at The Vaults but on The Barbican itself.  Critics of our opposition have claimed that we are calling for censorship of art.  A boycott is not censorship.  The successful Boycott Campaign against apartheid in South Africa included artists, musicians and sports people amongst others.

 


Sign the petition here

SUPPORT GROWS TO STOP THE HUMAN ZOO - WHITE PRIVILEGE IS NOT ART

The campaign to stop the racist human zoo exhibition, Exhibit B due to take place at the Barbican 23 to 27 September, has gained almost nine thousand signatures in just over a week and received national news coverage. Along with the petition's author, activist and journalist Sara Myers and BARAC UK, the campaign is supported by a broad range of community campaigners & organisations, including Operation Black Vote (OBV) as well as Unite the Union who have members working at The Barbican.

BARAC and others have been in dialogue with The Barbican but so far they have refused to withdraw as hosts of the exhibition disregarding our concerns and claiming that the exhibition is a lesson in history. In fact they could not even be bothered to respond to the second communication BARAC sent them.  

The exhibition has been met with anger in other countries on its tour and it is clear from reports that the exhibition which is curated by Brett Bailey, a white South African, is for white audiences. This just makes it even worse that he has decided to exhibit the abuse, torture and murder of black people for a white audience. 

It is insulting that the exhibition objectifies black people and uses actors and actresses, many of them semi naked women, to enact the atrocities and abuses that black people have experienced through history, it includes black people placed in cages, an enslaved  woman shackled to a bed waiting to be raped, and an extradited man on an plane seat who died from suffocation. 

These are not scenes that black people need to see to understand the history of abuse and racism our ancestors experienced, we are still living with the legacy of racism every day, we are experiencing deepening racism in the UK and globally. In the UK austerity is amplying racism, institutional racism is deepening with the criminalisation of black communities yet the exhibition offers no solutions to the legacy of racism and the racism we face today.  White people visiting the exhibition who hold racist views are not likely to change them because of it, in fact we believe the exhibition will attract people who feel a sense of enjoyment in seeing black people on display in this way and will simply fuel racism. 

This insulting, racist exhibition cannot be excused by labelling it art any more than inciting racial hatred can be justified by claiming freedom of speech. Brett Bailey cannot use white privilege to claim an understanding of the black experience on the receiving end of racism.

Protests and activities are planned outside the Barbican and you will receive updates on these if you sign the petition or join the facebook page and event.

You can support the campaign by signing and sharing the petition: SIGN THE PETITION HERE

Sharing this email with your networks together with the petition and facebook event page below.

Joining the facebook event : FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE

and page:  FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN PAGE

Writing to The Barbican and Patrons of the Barbican to complain.

Providing us with a statement of support for the campaign from you / your organisation.