An interview with: Unimuke Jagada.

AN INTERVIEW WITH: UNIMUKE J AGADA.

UNIMUKE J AGADA, ILLUSTRATOR, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS (ALUMNI).

What does the notion of the body politić look like now? To me, the body politic looks like groups of historically oppressed demographics mobilizing and taking back control of their bodies, as well the space they occupy. This can take the form of collectives, safe-spaces, and online communities, just to name a few.

What embodies ‘blackness in the white landscape’, and what does this look like to you? ‘Blackness in the white landscape’ immediately brings to mind ‘awareness’. Awareness of one’s own blackness, awareness of being watch, being judged and awareness of how the one must act in order to operate in this landscape. This manifests in countless ways, from self repression to self expression.

What are the differences in gender related issues / topics / relationships? I assume this means the difference “between” gender and race related issues. Gender is a much more multifaceted issue. It exists in a separate column, so to speak. When it comes to gender, you are not only dealing the potential pressure from a colonial oppressor, you are also dealing with the oppression from within your own tribe. This oppressive pressure is magnified based on race and gender identity so that if you are a women of color, or a trans person of color, you exist at a nexus and societal conflict, and it may seem like you have no tribe to identify with at all.

What are the differences between the British and American microcosms in the discussion of race?

The white population of Britain, I believe, holds the notion that is very much detached from issues of race, namely because the nation’s past transgressions were neither as domestic, nor as widely and commonly evoked as the Americas’. I would assume this leads to a more insidious form of racial transgression -- one that boils just below the surface. The cloak and dagger of the postracial myth. Alternatively, in America, the issue of race always lingers in the air. We are all aware of its weight, and those who try to convince themselves of its dissolution are simply attempting to assuage their own guilt. America is more like a bubbling, spilling cauldron of race discussion, spoken and unspoken, hateful and progressive.

painting from the collection 'Primevera' by Yi Xiao Chen

How are issues of body politics manifested, visualised and framed in the everyday? Countless ways -- the disproportionately black impoverished that often line urban areas as white workers avoid their gaze. The constant stream of news stories in which police remind us that that blacks are not, in fact, in control of our bodies. The testimonies of women who fear that their control will be taken from them in the form of passive aggression, harassment, and legislation. The disturbingly short life expectancy of trans women. These are all sign of the ongoing dialogue between the individual and the nation state. But body politics are present too in the taking back of control, the carving of space -- the defiant push back.

How do issues of racial body politics affect all people of colour? Across the globe, the darker you are, the worse you are treated by your society

thanks, in part, to the expanse of European ideals. The conflation of dark skin with negative traits are used by societies to strip individuals of humanity, which in turn is used as justification for injustice -- not to sound dramatic.

What about the possibility of black liberation? Black liberation is a tough topic. I think it lies most heavily on black independence and self love. There are serious, deep-seeded implications that have come with a white landscape. These manifest in internalized hatred and in-fighting. Black liberation must come from congregation, support, and resocialization through representation. This is something I find particularly important to inspire with art and other forms of media.

What are the ways / tools / methods that have been used to further reinforce negative stereotypes into society? Various pillars of socialization, from our families and communities to media, all play a part in leading us to conflate stereotypes with real life communities. Stereotyping is a language of shortcuts that we are taught to judge individuals and communities based solely on one aspect, and thanks to these modes of socialization, we are all familiar with the language.

culture, and making lemonade with lemons we have been dealt is what we are best at.

Are issues of ‘otherness’ still prevalent in today’s ‘post-racial’ societies? Yes -- absolutely. In fact, the denial of an issue only causes the issue to proliferate. A post-racial society is really just a society in denial, more-than-likely hiding from its past transgression. It is through open dialogue that the idea of otherness can be broken down -- the idea of accepting and respecting differences is vital to actually achieving equity.

What typifies and justifies ‘whiteness’ in it its relationship to questions of power? I think I first realized the power in whiteness when I realized that it was considered the default. When, telling a story, someone would call a white man a “man” and a black man a “black man”. When I realized the “flesh” crayon did not look like my flesh. When I realized, through jokes and popular narratives, that the traits associated with people that look like me were all bad, and those associated with whiteness were all positive.