Some Thoughts on Decolonising the Arts

A Workshop at ActNow Theatre | By Laura Franklin

When I noticed I was one of the few people who looked like me in Adelaide’s poetry scenes, the answer was simple: create a space that centres artists from POC backgrounds. When my friends and I found that there were only a handful of spaces for Muslim women to get together, it was simple, cultivate a community for young Muslim women to support and empower each other. This is the mentality that inspired the beginnings of initiatives I have been part of since I was a teenager and that many young people of colour are developing every day in the arts, in leadership and in community. This type of thinking has always seemed like common sense to me and many in my communities. However, the more I’ve become involved in the world of the Arts, particularly theatre, the more I’m reminded that common sense is not so common. 

My background was community work and activism and The Arts became a big part of my life much later. It is probably because of this that my various communities have always been central to my creative work. In addition, Spoken Word Poetry, historically, has been used as a method of amplifying voices from the margins, so I think it’s fair to say that community informed social justice is somewhat intrinsic in my artform. 

When the community inspires the process

The first time I heard of Community Arts and Cultural Development or CACD, as it is commonly known in the arts industry terminology, was early this year. CACD is a practice that looks less at artistic outcomes and more at process, specifically, the process of developing a project by and with community and for community. This, I discovered, was the official label for the category of the Arts that I have always been part of and these guiding principles are what I look for in any space, organisation or company that I engage with. 

Perhaps this is why I’ve stayed connected with ActNow for the past 7 years. I first came on board as a consultant and part of the development team for the Responding to Racism program, commissioned by Reconciliation SA. I was keen to be involved in creating something new, with a ‘mainstream’ platform. Then I was offered the opportunity to be one of the actors, to actually represent myself and the story that I helped to create and to influence change through arts - it was quite exciting. 

As the company grew, so did it’s platforming of voices, specifically from its First Nations, Theatre of the Global Majority and Queer Youth Theatre streams. The impact of building these connections and supporting artists within communities often ignored or used by the mainstream arts, was evident in the 2020 project, Decameron 2.0. A landmark project delivered in collaboration with State Theatre, which employed more than 100 artists, writers and actors. In the words of the ActNow’s current Artistic Director and co-CEO, Yasmin Gurreeboo, ‘this project brought diverse artists to the forefront and it’s about time’. And it did this in a way that we have never seen in South Australia. 

That’s not to say that ActNow is a community arts organisation, but rather, it is a mainstream company that recognises that grassroots community is crucial for democratising the arts and for the telling of authentic stories, thus CACD practise is deeply embedded within the processes of the company. 

Decolonising the Arts

Recently The Decameron 2.0 won a Ruby Award. The ceremony itself plays out in one of many exclusive spaces that it seems you only get an invite to if you know the right people. In a sea of white, I could easily count the people of colour who weren’t there for musical entertainment on my own hands. Access to the stage was even more exclusive. After Uncle Mickey O’Brien welcomed us to Country, there were three other moments where there was any non-white representation - when the First Nations specific award was announced, during the musical break when the incredible Marlon X Rulla performed with their band and finally, when ActNow went up to receive our award. In 2021, almost 2022, this is still the reality of The Arts sector in South Australia.

Currently, arts organisations in South Australia are deeply colonised. Too many of them are removed from the homes where organic, original ideas are constantly formulating and new cultures are being cultivated. This was clear to me when I attended the Ruby Awards and found myself feeling a discomfort that I hadn’t in years. 

It’s no secret that the arts too often tokenise, appropriate and marginalise people of colour. Furthermore, attempts to engage with the community are often patronising and come off as acts of charity which is again frustrating. When I am constantly surrounded by incredible creators from third culture communities and see none of them invited to these well funded and well-catered spaces it reminds me of the fact that these spaces were created for white people by white people.

There is not enough thought put into engaging anyone who doesn’t subscribe to the elitist, white-western centric world of The Arts or who hasn’t had the access to development that many of the people who are successful in these spaces have. However, this is exactly what is putting The Arts in danger.  

I believe that Arts organisations should not act as unreachable beacons but rather as platforms and facilitators for people to discover the truths that are already within or among them. Organisations should engage with communities and be open to being led by the communities.

It is through CACD practice that voices that are often ignored are elevated, that new generations of artists are nourished and outgrow the old. This decolonisation of the arts happens, when ways of thinking and working that diverge from ‘the way it’s done in the arts’ are encouraged and normalised. It is through these processes that we can see authentic representation that is not exploitative or unjust appropriation. 

When voices of the marginalised are centred, beautiful new professional works are created as are powerful educational programs. Then, we not only transform the arts, making the sector more relevant and building new audiences, we also share the tools that for many of us have changed or saved our lives. On top of that, we ingrain authenticity and justice, we create channels to develop incredible stories from so many different perspectives and make room for those of us who have been dismissed or silenced for so long to finally be represented and reflected. 

Manal Younus is an Associate Director at ActNow Theatre.