The Power of the Arts in Pursuit of Liberation

 Hello world! Kemi Writes here!

 Let’s talk about the impact art has on social and political change. 

“Art has always been a handmaiden to revolution and culture its fuel, for no other reason than social and political (inter)action are inherently symbolic and performative, and thus inherently aesthetic and affective” (Levine, pg.6).

Art is a “weapon of the future”, and it has been used throughout history in pursuit of social and political change. Art brings oppressed people together emotionally to create a united voice, and it becomes the resistance against oppression. Art is used to help oppressed people voice their pain and suffering, and art forms like graffiti, music, and poetry/spoken word played vital roles in revolutions. They were used as powerful tools against oppression. The united voice of the oppressed comes from the pain and suffering experienced and hope of a new future for them in sight. So, art provides healing and gives people a sense of empowerment. For lasting change and a lasting movement, a vision, a path, and a method are needed to not just have a temporary or short lasting change. I liked reading about liberation arts and how it creates dialogue that is collaborative and transformative. It brings community healing and change in their narratives.

For our activity for our innovation pitches, I think my sketch showed me how my voice would sort of be like an antenna for the young adults I want to help, and they would be receiving the signals I sent and sending signals back to me. So, basically, my sketch showed me dialogue in like a garden or nature itself, and I say garden/nature because of the flower-looking squiggles I had and birds as well as waves in my sketch. The activity helped me better understand what the details of my pitch would look like. I want to create a sacred space and create fun child-like games for young adults having difficulty expressing their inner child freely. I would want to help them change their perspectives in some way. 

I’m still putting it together, but that’s all for now!

XOXO,

~ Kemi Writes🎨💂💨