Theater of the Oppressed

One aspect of the reading that stood out to me was the fact that people’s creativity can be controlled by an authority figure, which the breaking of this control being a sense of freedom. Being able to express oneself without restraint enables one, in any realm, to perform with authenticity. In “Sister Act 2”, Sister May Clarence encourages Rita to rejoin the choir after her mother who forbade her to sing. Rita ultimately breaks the barrier of her mother’s disapproval and helps her choir win their competition. This movie expresses the importance of positive and affirming influence as it does the importance of staying true to your passion while giving support to and being supported by your community.

Sister A

-Funmi

 

 

Socio-Cultural Aspects of Performance

 

I went to the NC Pride parade last Saturday and had a blast! In class, we touched on the subjects of cultural propriety and expectations and how oppressive standardization has the potential of becoming. Deviating from these expectations creates a sense of freedom. As we resisted the cultural norms of mainstream society at Pride, there were people who, in turn, fought back.

There were self-proclaimed “Christian fundamentalists” and even a man posing as a silent Jesus carrying a cross. Their efforts were to reaffirm mainstream interpretation of gender expression and sexual behavior. Some of my fellow “Pridsters” resists cultural norms on a daily basis, but last Saturday was highly concentrated, which caused more friction.

-Funmi Solar

Poems: That Shield You Hold /I Bet We Can Figure Something Out

Oppression and (De)humanization

An interesting aspect of the reading is the idea of humanization and dehumanization, and the implications that come along with both. It seems simple to say that a group of people who are oppressed in similar ways are part of an oppressed group and identify with each other, but that is not necessarily the case. For example, this week’s reading spoke of the oppressed becoming more individualistic and thus becoming an oppressors if given the opportunity.

Studying rhetoric, this makes a lot of sense. In a public, there is a center of power. Those not fitting the criteria to voice themselves in this public become marginalized and silenced. So, in many cases, those who are marginalized create their own counter-public where their voices and sentiments are the center of power. Unfortunately, the counter-public becomes a microcosm of the original public and marginalizes and silences just as the original public did. This is an interesting point because there is an idea of having a double identity, or what W.E.B. Du Bois would consider a double consciousness, where oppressed people see themselves through the lens of their oppressors. So, through the oppressor’s lens, the “collective marginalized group” may be a solid group but they may see themselves in a different light.

A good example of this is a clip from the movie “Hotel Rwanda”. Through the Euro-centric lens, all people from Rwanda were the same. But, there was a civil war between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes, which view themselves as completely different. Link: Hotel Rwanda

-Funmi Solar

9/4 Performance Entry

One thing that I learned from my first performance is that it is in my nature to be extemporaneous. I had written another performance piece, but something else came to my mind and I ran with it. I know I am typically able to create speeches on the spot, but I have never said anything as expletive or unrefined in a classroom setting before. I felt a sense of freedom with speaking my mind without censorship. Another thing that I realized was the fact I was a bit intimidated with my environment, particularly the setup and temperature of the classroom. It was a bit dark and chilly, which slightly depressed my mood. And so I switched my serious monologue to a more upbeat one.  Hafiz’s Who Wants Those? relates to my performance very closely.  “I act that way-sober and concerned about something…it is just a charade.” This applies to my performance because it was very light-hearted, and, I would argue, rather entertaining.  In retrospect, my performance taught me that I should have a bit more confidence in my use of gestures and spoken word.

Many of the performances were insightful and enlightening. But if I had to choose three that affected me the most, it would be the performance by Peter, Emrie, and Jasmine. What I liked about Peter’s was that he was very thorough in explaining the history that led up to his performance. Although he had special needs as a boy, he used performance to thrive and prosper.  I was very appreciative of his honestly and vulnerability. Emrie’s performance was very interesting. I was a bit shocked at how blunt she was when speaking about taking care of her roommate. Many people would have glossed over their impatience, but Emrie used it to her advantage. She was very funny, yet showed her caring side. Jasmine’s reenacted her cheerleading performance and her gesture were spot on. When she turned and faced the guy she liked, I imagined him actually sitting there. The combination of her story and gestures created a realistic scenario. From the three performances, I learned that vulnerability, bluntness, and storytelling through gestures can make a good performance even better.

-Funmi

Intro Post

One thing that I learned from my first performance is that it is in my nature to be extemporaneous. I had written another performance piece, but something else came to my mind and I ran with it. I know I am typically able to create speeches on the spot, but I have never said anything as expletive or unrefined in a classroom setting before. I felt a sense of freedom with speaking my mind without censorship. Another thing that I realized was the fact I was a bit intimidated with my environment, particularly the setup and temperature of the classroom. It was a bit dark and chilly, which slightly depressed my mood. And so I switched my serious monologue to a more upbeat one.  Hafiz’s Who Wants Those? relates to my performance very closely.  “I act that way-sober and concerned about something…it is just a charade.” This applies to my performance because it was very light-hearted, and, I would argue, rather entertaining.  In retrospect, my performance taught me that I should have a bit more confidence in my use of gestures and spoken word.

Many of the performances were insightful and enlightening. But if I had to choose three that affected me the most, it would be the performance by Peter, Emrie, and Jasmine. What I liked about Peter’s was that he was very thorough in explaining the history that led up to his performance. Although he had special needs as a boy, he used performance to thrive and prosper.  I was very appreciative of his honestly and vulnerability. Emrie’s performance was very interesting. I was a bit shocked at how blunt she was when speaking about taking care of her roommate. Many people would have glossed over their impatience, but Emrie used it to her advantage. She was very funny, yet showed her caring side. Jasmine’s reenacted her cheerleading performance and her gesture were spot on. When she turned and faced the guy she liked, I imagined him actually sitting there. The combination of her story and gestures created a realistic scenario. From the three performances, I learned that vulnerability, bluntness, and storytelling through gestures can make a good performance even better.

-Funmi