Please note: This is edition is not about the movie genre Blaxploitation. The dresscode won’t be “Coffy or Shaft” and we won’t review the cultural significance of movies like Three The Hard Way. But yes, as always we offer THE space to pick your afro and put some soul in your speech.Blaxplanation – Black identity in white society
...Hosted by: Yinka Adesina
Guest speakers: Shahida Albitrouw, Jimmy Rage and Iyahmin
Location: Ninsee
Doors open: 13.30h
Debate starts at: 14.00h (sharp!)
Contribution at the door: € 3
What do you consider Blackness? Wikipedia (which we are sure is Latin for ‘the witchcraft of inconsistency’) describes it as “an African-American subculture” but on February 6th we will keep it a little closer to home and talk about the thriumps and trials of Blackness in the Netherlands. Do you chose to identify as Black and, if so, how do you deal with the social resistance that ‘the term’ sometimes triggers? If you chose not to identify as such... is not being comfortable and/or ready to call yourself or your work/art/politics/organisa
How do we explain our culture and/or collective Black consciousness in a country that never really had its nose rubbed in Blackness? What to do in a land that doesn’t really want to invest in Black awareness but also can’t stand to be ‘left out’ at events that focus on the history, present or future of its Afrodiasporic citizens? For example: at last year’s Keti Koti festival we got the Dutch band De Dijk shoved down our throats because “the abolishion of Dutch slavery in Suriname is a celebration for everyone and we should all come together” but when it comes to educating that same “everyone” about the history of slavery... folks are a little less pressed about being inclusive. Or: It is ‘okay’ to label a school as ‘Black’ when you’re talking about ‘an educational institute that have too many non-white kids to secure the linguistic intellect of the school yard conversations’ but what would happen when you would like to start a highschool that teaches world history, geography and (social) science from a more Afrocentric point of view? Could that school still be called a Black school or would that be a problem because ‘the term’ Black isn’t conditioned to equal or even give the idea of excellence?
So... what are your thoughts on these and other matters conserning your personal and our collective Blackness? Yes, you can express them on this page but we’d really love for you to join us at Ninsee on Sunday February 6th for a fruitful exchange of views, opinions, truths and facts.
Also note: We are as democratic and patient as the next (wo)man but this will not be an event that will magically turn into a conversation about how “race doesn’t matter anymore” and/or how “we are basically are all the same so we should really focus more on becoming one!”. Yes, what is qualified as race still matters. No, we are not all the same but luckily our differences are as beautiful as everything we do have in common. Plus, if while trying to become one the thought of you becoming more Sudanese or Haitian has never crossed your mind then you have just proven why this edition is needed.
Peace,
SOAPbox
