Navigating the Cradle of Creativity - ASSITEJ 2017 conference and festival in Capetown, SA.

There was a lot to take in at The Cradle of Creativity, the ASSITEJ conference and festival in Capetown, SA. When I got off the plane I was wondering how to navigate my time at the festival.

So it was useful to start my first day with a keynote address from Dr. Matthew Reason who began by acknowledging his position, similar to mine, as a white, male, straight, able-bodied, middle-class white man.  Matthew said this was not to apologise but a simple acknowledgement that these identities are – or rather they pretend to be – unnamed and unmarked, not identity positions at all.

“It is both ethically and intellectually the right thing to do. I also do so for a more conceptual reason, which is that it raises a point to consider around intercultural exchange and diversity intersect with exnominative identity positions….  Roland Barthes used the term ‘exnomination’ to describe the way the bourgeoisie – broadly those in power – hide their name, remain anonymous, fail to refer to themselves as an identity position at all in order to naturalise their position and power.”  

And furthermore, of particular significance given the histories of colonialization, was my English identity.  For me, this was highlighted on a trip to Robben Island where our guide wanted to talk about where we were from. The role of the English, or rather British, in South Africa’s history became a conversation.  It was a starting point for shared discussion. 

Similarly, in another conversation with a professional colleague, we shared that we had both spent our childhood in Ghana, as children of Naval officers; White British and Black Ghanaian. For me, it was also a starting point for personal reflection.

Matthew continued his keynote by setting out a broader context.

“The significance of this point goes beyond myself and this paper to this particular audience at this particular conference, but to questions of identity, authority, diversity and representation more broadly. What voices get heard; what perspectives get listened to? When we speak, from what perspectives do we speak and to what extent do we acknowledge these?”

It was a context for me to navigate the shows, the conversations and a little of the history of Capetown.  At the close of the festival, the President of ASSITEJ, Yvette Hardie, noted how all the participants had been ‘marked’ in some way and acknowledged the importance of the festival coming to Africa for the first time.  Artscape, the main venue, originally built for white South Africans in 1971, was now host to some fabulous Black South African shows like Animal Farm and Karoo Moose. All around in township venues, the City Hall, Magnet and Baxter, theatres were full with shows from around the world and conversation.  Capetown the legislative centre of apartheid was now a witness to the vibrant intercultural exchange of ASSITEJ 2017, The Cradle of Creativity.