I learned a lot with you. Let's keep on fighting - to the end...
diane celia hodges wrote:
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> At 9:04 PM 10/19/97, Ricardo Ottoni Vaz Japiassu wrote:
> >Well, Diane, I do agree with you in many aspects you pointed out
> >about institutions. But, I do believe we can change them. We
> >do had changed things here. At least in our "neighbohood", discussing
> >and coming out our opinions... That's a hard work, but when we are not
> >alone it is "easy", I mean, possible... Not ever... Sometimes we loose=
,
> >but this is not something that makes us leave the fight.Cultural
> >resistance... like candombl=E9, capoeira, ax=E9 music in Brazil - spec=
ially
> >in Bahia.
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> 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,
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> 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.
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> As well, You remind me that in NA there is a very potent ideology
> of "individualism" which precludes institutional change. There are stil=
l
> too many people who benefit from their institutional privileges; and
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> and so the battle is quite one-sided. But, also, I think that people he=
re tend
> to take the"fight" on by themselves, (partly because it's so difficult
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> to find others who will risk losing their privilege;) but also
> because it's embedded in the White/middle-class/masculine
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> 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...
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> From what you write,
> I sense more collectivity in the work, which makes all the difference.
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> >
> >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 ...
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> Yes, I can understand the difference. Thank you for your patience in
> explaining it to me.
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> <snip>
> >>
> >> >What cheers are?
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> 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>
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> >
> >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>
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> >>
> >> I applaud your work!! But I am not as optimistic about structural ch=
ange
> >>as you.
> >
> >
> >
> >An hystorical aproach understands "things" in movement, in process...
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> I can appreciate the movements, the ongoing spatiotemporality
> of institutions, schools, and the changes do take place. The problem, i=
n NA,
> is still with the ideological organizations, which, in spite of materia=
l
> practice don't seem to evolve at the same pace. Technologically, we are
> advanced, engaging with a new world of communication.
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> 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 d=
o to
> fight the epidemic.
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> 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.
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> 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 thi=
nk
> >it's important to be inside schools. I understand schools as a place o=
f
> >socio-political fight, in which groups make their thought come out.
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> 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 cha=
nge
> must involve the removal of special privileges for certain people on
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> the basis of their race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, and =
so on.
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> >> We come in to a situation with/as a
> >> certain repeated
> >> equation, but through interactions within chaos-tolerant environment=
s, the
> >> spontaneous, unpredictable surprise of what can emerge changes us an=
d
> >> the environement. Theatre can be a chaos-tolerant environment. Insti=
tutions
> >> are not.
> >
> >Not every kind of Theater.
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> No. But theatre "can" be chaos-tolerant. I see this as valuable for cha=
nge,
> myself, if not crucial, for change -
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> real change, at the roots of the mind,
> involves "creative practice" (that's from Raymond Williams, - are you
> familiar with his writing?)
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> <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 N=
A.
> >There is the Boal's book "Two hundred exercises and games to actors a=
nd
> >not actors that want to say something throw Theater" and "Theater of t=
he
> >Opressed".
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> Theatre of the Oppressed, I am familiar with. But I will be looking up =
the
> other titles you mentioned.
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> >
> >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.
> >
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> 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.
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> >
> 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 t=
o
> >write a paper this weekend. Please,forgive me.
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> Ricardo, thank you for explaining more - you prompted me to re-think my
> positions/privileges quite differently.
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> When you have more time,
> of course, perhaps you can offer examples of your work. It sounds
> very exciting, very important, very educative.
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> diane
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> "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