PRESS RELEASE: BOYCOTT THE HUMAN ZOO - ONE MILLION RISING

BLACK ACTIVISTS RISING AGAINST CUTS (BARAC) UK

PRESS RELEASE

17 September 2014

Boycott the Human Zoo; 1 Million Rising

From Tuesday 23^rd of September to Saturday 27^th of September a picket will take place each day, between the hours of 5.30pm to 10pm at The Vaults, to coincide with showings of Exhibit B, Third World Bun Fight, by Brett Bailey, which is hosted by The Barbican.  Protestors will assemble at the main entrance to Waterloo Rail Station, SE1 8SW.

BARAC UK is one of several organisations forming the campaign boycotting the exhibition and BARAC representatives and members will be participating in the protests at The Vaults.

Zita Holbourne, National Co-Chair BARAC UK said;

“You don’t tackle the legacy of racism or current racism by re-enacting racist atrocities. Contrary to the claim by The Barbican that Exhibit B is empowering and educational, it is impossible for the descendants of racism created through colonial rule, Empire and enslavement to be empowered by seeing black people caged, chained, blacked up, tortured and murdered.  As a visual artist and curator, I create and exhibit art that both challenges racism and promotes equality. This exhibition does neither. Those of us who have a lived experience of racism do not need educating on racism. It is an absolute disgrace in our Capital city that this exhibition was agreed without consulting black communities on how it would be received and with complete disregard for the pain and anger it is causing. It is indicative of the deepening institutional racism we experience.”

Lee Jasper, National Co-Chair BARAC UK said;

“Here in London, a city that is 40% non- white, we have a strong and powerful tradition of black self- organisation and anti- racism. Brett Bailey or the Barbican could have at any time, spoken to a wide range of organisations, prior to putting on the show, in an effort to seek their views; they choose not to do so and to add insult to injury. We believe this Human Zoo to be racist in conceptualisation and presentation. It is an exercise in white privilege and power which should have been challenged when it was suggested it be hosted in London, rather than being supported by The Barbican and The City of London Corporation.  Failure to withdraw will lead not only to a boycott of Exhibit B but of The Barbican as an organisation”

Background

From 23 to 27 September, The Barbican will host Exhibit B, by Brett Bailey, at The Vaults in Waterloo.

Exhibit B is a re-enactment of the Victoria human zoo, using black people to act as exhibits subjected to racist torture and murder.  The exhibits include black ‘actors’; a woman in shackles, waiting to be raped, a man in an iron mask, people in cages, ‘blacked up’ and in plane seats being murdered. The exhibition objectifies black people in an offensive and degrading way. The Exhibition is racist and hurtful and has been met with outrage by black communities and the wider public.  A coalition of organisations including  BARAC UK, representing over 1 million members in addition to the 21,000 plus people who have signed the online petition are calling for the exhibition to be withdrawn by The Barbican who are hosting it.

An open letter to the City of London Corporation, by BARAC UK, led to a meeting with members of The Barbican Board and management on 11^th September, who refused to withdraw from hosting.  A lobby of the City of London Council took place on the same day and a March and rally outside The Barbican with speakers and performers took place on 13 September. At the meeting on the 11^th the Campaign requested a senior member to receive the petition on the 13^th which was acknowledged.  Despite at least one Board member being present at the Barbican on the day of the rally, only security staff  were made available to accept the petition.  As a result of this another protest took place on 16^th September and the petition was handed in to a Board member.  

ENDS

Contact:  Zita Holbourne,  National Co-Chair BARAC UK,                    Campaign Press Officer.                                                                                 

Email: barac.info@gmail.com         

www.blackactivistsrisingagainstcuts.blogspot.com

http://boycotthumanzoouk.com

@baracuk  @boycotthumanzoo

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/boycotthumanzoo

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.

We all have a responsibility to stand up to racism

CO-CHAIR OF BARAC, ZITA HOLBOURNE WRITES FOR THE DIVERSITY GROUP (organisers of The UK National Diversity Awards) on the increasing threat of racism and why we should all stand up to it:

http://www.diversitygroup.co.uk/every-individual-has-a-responsibility-to-challenge-racism-3/