AN INTERVIEW WITH: THOKOZANI MBWANA.
THOKOZANI MBWANA, ARTIST/EDUCATOR, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY (2015). What does the notion of the body politić look like now? A global black consciousness that has evolved over decades where, with the help of social media and technology we have been able to connect with one another in the lived experiences of blackness in black spaces and blackness in white spaces within diaspora and homelands. Black people are able to, in their works of art, media and social commentary, create narratives that we are more able to relate to across the world, more so than ever before. What embodies ‘blackness in the white landscape’, and what does this look like to you? The embodiment of ‘blackness in the white landscape’ for me, is Afropunk taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa. The location of the event takes place on Constitution Hill- which originally was a prison that held white male prisoners during the Anglo-Boer war and later black and white political activists who opposed apartheid. Constitution Hill is one of the many blatant, physical reminders of apartheid and colonial history and having an event that celebrates blackness in all forms is the embodiment of blackness in the white landscape. What are the differences in gender related issues / topics / relationships? The differences in gender related issues can range from the different experiences and needs of western feminism compared to postcolonial third world feminism (African and Eastern), to issues of the way we are socialised into heteronormativity as heterosexual and LGBTQ+ people. 132 // BODY POLITIĆ.
What are the differences between the British and American microcosms in the discussion of race? The race issues in Britain are somewhat downplayed as not as rampant as in America. It therefore creates an environment where, in America talks about race are endless- and rightly so, whereas in Britain there might not be a constant flow of conversation. The belief that “racism doesn’t exist until something racist happens” (racism in isolation) is far more perpetuated in Britain. Even though there are issues in the way history is taughtand the biases of the western perception, in America, there is recognition of civil rights movements and some mention of black and native history to aid in dialogues about race. In Britain the focus of history is on the imperial efforts of the empire and very little, if at all on the narratives of the many immigrants from different nations that make up a significant percentage of the British population today. Currently the focus in America on race issues is the school to prison pipeline, the immigration ban and police brutality whereas in Britain the focus is on the underlying issues of xenophobia and racism in Brexit and the increase in hate crimes. How are issues of body politics manifested, visualised and framed in the everyday? Issues of body politics can be demonstrated everyday in the microaggressions we experience in workplaces and schools. It manifests in everyday rape culture, diet culture and advertisement and in news media. How do issues of racial body politics
