Talking about racism and white privilege, even when masked or expressed in small gestures, is vital in our socially segregated world. But how does this issue tie in with What Design Can Do? This workshop stressed the influence of the visual arts in this context.
By Loretta So & Pedro Silva Costa
Dutch documentary maker Sunny Bergman uses film to communicate about an issue that many people, especially white people, refuse to acknowledge as a deep social problem: the privilege of the colour white. Activist Jerry Afriyie joined Sunny to share his experiences with the fight against racial discrimination, which is not limited to skin colour but also extends to nationality.
Bergman and Afriyie involved the audience in a very interactive way. To illustrate how prejudice is inherent in behaviour, a series of clips from Bergman’s films were screened, and then a question would pop up. Participants were invited to think about this for a while and then share their thoughts.
Jerry Afriyie and Sunny Bergman
Filmmaking as a tool for change
Filmed social experiments, like one where three identically dressed males try to ‘steal’ a bike in broad daylight, show how people’s reactions depend on racial stereotypes. The response to a white thief was: ‘He’s a dad trying to get his bike back’. But if the thief was black, the response was: ‘Is that your bike? I’m going to call the police’. Some participants were ashamed to admit that they would act with similar racist comments.
Planting seeds
Even though the session was too short to address these complex issues fully, the workshop encouraged participants to continue the conversations. The workshop also showed how influential the visual arts can be in educating society against instilling or perpetuating racial stereotypes.
Throughout the workshop, people answered questions with their personal experience. There was an underlying understanding that all of us have quietly adopted racial stereotypes. We experienced that dialogue can trigger awareness of racist behaviour and prevent it from happening again.