what is significant in your note, Ricardo, is your use of "we", when
talking about change. Your message reminds me that my own
privileges, living here in Canada, to a large extent,
allow me to take the position of a separatist when it
comes to institutions. My criticisms and assumptions about change,
as well, reflect more of my own privilege than anything about
what it is like for you in Brazil.
As well, You remind me that in NA there is a very potent ideology
of "individualism" which precludes institutional change. There are still
too many people who benefit from their institutional privileges; and
and so the battle is quite one-sided. But, also, I think that people here te=
nd
to take the"fight" on by themselves, (partly because it's so difficult
to find others who will risk losing their privilege;) but also
because it's embedded in the White/middle-class/masculine
cultural traditions - the "public" is more recognizable as
a collective _of individuals_, than as a collective.
Thus there
is preoccupation with the "rights of the individual", more so,
than the rights of women, or the rights of children to a healthy
educative experience... of the rights of First Nations persons, and so on...
=46rom what you write,
I sense more collectivity in the work, which makes all the difference.
>
>Aside universal culture, regional culture... organized, resisting
>devastation. If we leave the fight, it becomes very "easy" to "them"...
>Can you understand why is very important to us be present into
>institutions or build institutions like non-governamental
>organizations... ORGANIZATION, That's the question: To be
>(inside institutions) or not ...
Yes, I can understand the difference. Thank you for your patience in
explaining it to me.
<snip>
>>
>> >What cheers are?
Cheers are "HURRAH!", or "Good for you!" or, "Cheers", in the UK, means
hello and goodbye. But either way, it's a positive salutation.
<snip>
>
>Theater is a coletive activity, always. But there are many "models" of
>relation between people who are involved in any theater
>criation/process. Of course, I believe in a democratic model, in
>which people can be heard and discuss their ideas/thinking/opinions.
>Something very distant from most of business models.
>
>
><snip>
>>
>> I applaud your work!! But I am not as optimistic about structural change
>>as you.
>
>
>
>An hystorical aproach understands "things" in movement, in process...
I can appreciate the movements, the ongoing spatiotemporality
of institutions, schools, and the changes do take place. The problem, in NA,
is still with the ideological organizations, which, in spite of material
practice don't seem to evolve at the same pace. Technologically, we are
advanced, engaging with a new world of communication.
And yet, for the most part, the social organization is quite
inhumane. The medical institution continues to withhold important
information; economic drifts continue to segregate the rich from
the poor, the population of persons with AIDS in east Vancouver is
higher than anywhere in NA... and yet people still spend more
money fighting to keep whales out of the Vancouver Aquarium than they do to
fight the epidemic.
So, yes, a historical understanding recognizes the ongoing
processes of change; but by the same token, I also recognize
that the ideologies are not effected by these changes. Women are still
second-class
citizens, person with addictions are still penalized, denied help and
blamed for their sickness;
children are still raped and brutalized, and so on.
I think my ideals of separatism are perhaps a desperate feeling,
more than a political position.
<snip>
>
>I'm not against organization outside schools. But, as I told you I think
>it's important to be inside schools. I understand schools as a place of
>socio-political fight, in which groups make their thought come out.
We do view schools quite differently. But again, this is historical.
The tradition of schools in NA is very different from the traditions
of schools in Brazil. I think the problem is one of privilege -
where too many still benefit from institutional privilege to actually
resist, or revolt, or actively work to re-organize... this, because change
must involve the removal of special privileges for certain people on
the basis of their race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, and so on=
.
>> We come in to a situation with/as a
>> certain repeated
>> equation, but through interactions within chaos-tolerant environments, th=
e
>> spontaneous, unpredictable surprise of what can emerge changes us and
>> the environement. Theatre can be a chaos-tolerant environment. Institutio=
ns
>> are not.
>
>Not every kind of Theater.
No. But theatre "can" be chaos-tolerant. I see this as valuable for change,
myself, if not crucial, for change -
real change, at the roots of the mind,
involves "creative practice" (that's from Raymond Williams, - are you
familiar with his writing?)
<snip>
.. Can you tell me more about the
>>
>> cultural/historical contexts in which performance happens? And
>> this tree-based method... can you explain more of that?
>
>
>Brecht model of action with the pedagogic plays are very used too. Do
>you Know the work of Viola Spolin? She wrote two interesting books:
>"Improvisation to the theater" and "Theater game file", published in NA.
>There is the Boal's book "Two hundred exercises and games to actors and
>not actors that want to say something throw Theater" and "Theater of the
>Opressed".
Theatre of the Oppressed, I am familiar with. But I will be looking up the
other titles you mentioned.
>
>tree based methodology:
>
>1) To make theater ( as actor, set design, make up artist etc )
> be "actor"
>
>2) Read theater comunication ( understand what is said by theater )
>
>3) Know the socio-historical context in which a performance happens...
> and know the performance history.
>
this is interesting. Where does this method come from? What source? I'd
be interested to read more on it... it could be very useful for our
community work here.
>
Are there are stories you could relate,
>> which might describe an example of what you do?
>
>Yes, there are many interesting stories... I'm very busy now. I have to
>write a paper this weekend. Please,forgive me.
Ricardo, thank you for explaining more - you prompted me to re-think my
positions/privileges quite differently.
When you have more time,
of course, perhaps you can offer examples of your work. It sounds
very exciting, very important, very educative.
diane
"Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right."
Ani Difranco
*********************************
diane celia hodges
faculty of education
university of british columbia
vancouver, bc canada
tel: (604)-253-4807
email: dchodges who-is-at interchange.ubc.ca