Actors need to master the art of listening
Arts and cultural approaches to conflict have undergone a massive transformation in identity and understanding in the past decade alone. In the post 9/11 world, there has been a socio-revival of ideas pertaining to humanism. Instead of political and economic frameworks, there are increasing examples where words synonymous with the ideas of home, identity, belonging, entitlement and rights are being brought to the fore.
On the second day of the Salzburg Global Seminar session on “Conflict Transformation through Culture: Peace-Building and the Arts” the 63 Fellows from across the world discussed the differing post-conflict approaches to peace-building and reconciliation.
Led by panelists Jacqueline Bertrand Lessac, executive producer and founder of Global Arts Corps in New York, Nigel Osbourne, emeritus professor of music at the University of Edinburgh, UK, Phloeun Prim, executive director of Cambodian Living Arts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Paul Smith, director of the USA office of the British Council in Washington, DC, the Fellows considered why this shift in tone is resonant of a change in attitude that sees the arts as baring a power of international reconciliation, offering alternative mediums and means by which to explore our pasts and our futures in equal measure.
These modes are as diverse as they are engaging: from music and dancing, to film making and free journalism, the exponential explosion of a new language by which to address conflict resolution allows artists and activists alike to probe fundamental questions that might be otherwise out of bounds.
In order to fully explore the perimeters of this new space, artists must acquiesce on the historical gravitas of conflict. Many communities are ravaged by the horrors of war, not just resulting in an immediate loss of physical historical and cultural reference points, but also creating disjuncture between generations, class boundaries, and races.
In the case of Cambodia, for example, 90% of artists were killed as a result of the Khmer Rouge and this threatened traditional dances that were taught from generation to generation. In Pakistan, the drawing of countries lines by politicians that did not understand, nor took the time to comprehend the magnitude of, divisions, has resulted in a huge displacement and distrust of opposing religions.
In order to understand how these pivotal moments have deeply affected the present, there have to be authentic voices, not just actors playing roles. In this sense, a nation must know itself before it can develop itself and explore itself.
Moving forward, culture needs to be considered not as a side project to diplomacy in rebuilding, but a complementing and parallel avenue by which people that have lived through these traumas can be part of an organic process of local, national and international redevelopment.
Speakers testified to the fact that in regions where there were generational gaps, youth coming of age had grown up with the legacy of conflict, yet misunderstand the legacy. This leads to a sense of uselessness, a settling anger, confusion, resentment and a further cycle of conflict.
Rebuilding in a positive manner is crucial in tackling this ‘genocide generation’ head-on. They are a watershed in post-conflict reconciliation; if they are not reached, then it becomes increasingly difficult to unlearn false histories.
This process of relearning allows a de-otherization of perceived enemies and proffers a negative space in which to proactively discuss how problems arose and how they might be resolved, often in ways that turn the table, giving minorities a voice, and leaving aggressors overwhelmed by a real sense of empathy.
Culture projects not only provide the context for breaking ground on these most obvious of boundaries, however. They also work to heal the more invisible struggles in post conflict regions, readdressing biological concerns. Traumatized populations, particularly children, tend to have higher heart rates, but this can be regulated by exercise opportunities. Those suffering breathing arrhythmias also stand a better chance of improvement if they are active in an environment where they can sing, increasing the lung capacity and regulating the heart too. Movement dysregulation can be tackled through dance.
In a multifaceted approach, arts tackle both the physical and the psychological scars that stem from conflict. Through their approach, arts projects humanize ideologies and redress the past in ways we can understand and affiliate with today. If there is a passion for creative means, then there is a passion for recreating the self, and exploring the potential of that self. This has to be done through a process of collaboration so as to create a genuine dialogue. Communities can’t craft well if they don’t master the art of listening.