An Interview with: Rachel Isabel Mukendi

AN INTERVIEW WITH: RACHEL ISABEL MUKENDI.

RACHEL ISABEL MUKENDI, ARTIST/FILMMAKER, CHELSEA, UAL (ALUMNI).

What does the notion of the body politić look like now? We are making progress in regards to the notion of body politics, simply because of the endless campaigning we’ve had to do where our bodies have been policed and up for debate by people who don’t look like us. I think now more than ever there has been a shift in body politics, there is a power shift because we are now taking ownership of ourselves and fighting not to be censored. Body politics will consistently evolve because of the power shifts, we are in a position where we are creating our own narratives, forging our own identities and speaking out when our bodies are misrepresented.

What embodies ‘blackness in the white landscape’, and what does this look like to you? Blackness in the white landscape, is consistently navigating in all white spaces, it is trying to understand the micro and macro aggressions that feed in the narrative of your everyday. Serena Williams is the embodiment of blackness in a white landscape. I think Jordan Peele’s film Get Out almost perfectly encapsulates what blackness in a white landscape is like, the stigmas that are attached to being black, the stares, the touching, the constant questions you get about flippant generalisations.

What are the differences in gender related issues / topics / relationships? We are becoming more aware that gender is a social construct. I think with gender the realisation that you can be non binary is a mind blowing notion because of how many people identify with it. I think there’s

something so beautiful and honest about that. Talking about gender in the sphere of blackness is something that has proven quite difficult because of all the stigmas that the westernised mentalities have attached to it. That it isn’t the norm, it isn’t as simple as ticking a box and saying I’m either a man or a woman. The issues with gender is that people see it as a very black and white thing when it isn’t there are a lot of grey areas and those grey areas should be talked about more.

What are the differences between the British and American microcosms in the discussion of race? American discussions of race are very overt, in the education system they have included African American studies, in however Britain it is a rare subject matter. A lot of British history did not actually happen in Britain itself. As ugly as the subject of slavery is and colonial histories, the British discussion about race is quite a touchy subject because people don’t want to address it as an issue even though it has been institutionalised. With America, the racism is an obvious daily battle because black Americans are being killed by the people paid to protect them.

How are issue of body politics manifested, visualised and framed in the everyday? There has been a surge in debates about the body politics, from The Slumflowers’ saggyboobsmatter campaign, to Munroe Bergdorf’s existance as a black trans woman, we’re seeing social media platforms such as twitter become a daily battlefield that policies our body. The issues of body politics have manifested a lot over the last few years because there has been more of an open

dialogue with what we’re not going to accept anymore. I think this affects women, queer and non binary folk the most. Where there has been a revelation in how we think, how we see our body’s and how we choose to present it. They have made some media outlets rethink and engage. You can look at Black Panther as the perfect example, with an entire all black cast, full of dark skin men and women and having the women keep the tempo and running the show. For once we are seeing black bodies existing not within whiteness on the horizon.

How do issues of racial body politics affect all people of colour? Racial body politics is an interesting one, we have Kim Kardashian who has assumed the role of the black woman because of the ways in which she chose to alter her body to fit the stereotype of the black woman. Somehow black women’s features are more acceptable on the white body. The way our features and cultures are picked apart and place on white bodies is something that affects people of colour, we are constantly being told our features look better on white skin. Take the film industry for instance, Scarlett Johansson to play the lead in ‘Ghost In A Shell’ (2017) there was uproar about the film because another white actor has been used in the place of an asian character, another example ‘Gods of Egypt’ (2016) a completely whitewashed film that made no apparent sense in the first place. Racial body politics affects all people of colour because we are kept out of the conversation and used for our aesthetic.

What are the ways / tools / methods that have been used to further reinforce

negative stereotypes into society? The singular narrative of the black woman stereotype, we’re told to roll with punches and the hardships, we shouldn’t have to. They mistaken assertiveness for aggression but this same assertiveness on whiteness is praised. Negative stereotypes are reinforced by the language in which we use to identify someone, like calling a black woman’s hair ‘sassy’ already gives the an identity that wasn’t there own but has been thrown on to them. Visualisation of negative stereotypes can be seen in ‘Norbit’ (2007) starring Eddie Murphy, yes it’s supposedly a comedy, however, the character they developed Rasputia Latimore play by Murphy himself, showed the angry, loud, uncompromising, overweight dark skinned black woman versus the very kind, well mannered, light skinned Thandie Newton. Again, this is supposed to be a comedy but it centres around negative stereotypes and issues of colorism that just doesn’t sit right.

What about the possibility of black liberation? I think a lot of black people are starting to engage more in the conversations surrounding our existence. We’ve been outsiders for the longest time but now we’re more comfortable being on the outside because it has forced us to create our own communities, write our own narratives for us by us. I still hold out hope for black liberation, it comes at a cost. If it was for people who like us being visible and able to communicate I think the possibility would be a distant dream. History has a way of repeating itself, during the civil rights movement we had Nina Simone telling us we are Young, Gifted and Black, today we have Kendrick Lamar telling us that “We