anti-racism at Atalante

say that three times fast. go.

okay, now you get the lowdown on tonight's presentation. as part of my new kick of being more involved in the arts and culture scene here in Gothenburg, i have scheduled some activities for the coming weeks. jenny is super excited, and i am really looking forward to tapping into this city's many creative splendors!

tonight we were down the street at Atalante which is an impressive but small performance space. they have a wild calendar full of dance performances, plays, installation art, movies and much more. this week, they are running with a theme of anti-racism and feature a wide variety of spectacles, ranging from a screening of "Slumdog Millionaire" to youth discussion groups and films.

this evening's presentation was a collection of films made my students at a school in a rough part of town. they are mostly children of immigrants and have been residents of this neighborhood, which generally gets a bad rap in the media and within the community here. despite the fact that many good things do happen there, it's not a coincidence that a lot of car fires, robberies gang activity and assaults take place in and around this area. so a group of community workers got together and gave the kids a voice, arming them with video cameras and a task to show life in Hjällbo through their eyes.

what resulted was a mix of really interesting conversations between the students, giving their honest opinions of what it's like to live there, what it's like to be prejudged because of their address and their ethnicity, and why it's not actually so terrible to live there. they rave about the community programs, about how they all stand up for each other and that it's a great community to grow up in.

none of them are naive to the fact that the police, the emergency services and the media all have their own opinions and prejudices when it comes to this neighborhood. they are also not naive to the fact that these prejudices are based primarily on race, and focus very much on the negative aspects of what happens there. one girl in particular, with her deep brown skin, dressed in a headscarf, with a bright white smile described how there can be positive peer pressure amongst all the negative stereotypes. another boy, with thick, dark eyebrows and a heavy middle eastern accent said that it was a shame that when people read about good things that happen in Hjällbo, they don't really remark on it. but when they read about negative events, they always cry out with an "i told you so" kind of attitude.

there is no denying that this part of town is not the most desireable place to live, but one has to consider that stereotypes perpetuate themselves, and these kids are growing up with a stigma attached to them before they even step outside their front door. not only are they children of immigrants (probably seeking asylum from war or other attrocities) but they are living in one of the most pigeon-holed communities on the west coast of Sweden.

the only disappointment of the evening, and i must admit, it was a HUGE disappointment, was that the audience was filled with the presenters peers. normally that would be a great acheivment - getting teens to turn up at a cultural event that didn't involve television or internet abuse. at the risk of sounding like an old fart... these kids had NO respect! there was a panel of adults, from different disciplines answering questions from kids who felt marginalized or descriminated against. there would be cheers of support after one of their own had asked a pointed question (like, "why did it take the ambulance 1 hour to reach me at my home when i couldn't breathe, after i gave them my african name?") but had no interest in hearing the reply from the emergency services guys. or the fact that there were three girls in front of us that could not stay quiet for more than 30 seconds, and prevented me from hearing anything. it was so terrible, that we left before the end.

some highlights were a couple of very spririted performances from some aspiring rap artists and the films were really nice, although basic and not very well planned. when we came home, about 10 minutes ago, i was so upset about the disruptive audience that i felt it had been a total waste of an evening. but now i've allowed myself to simmer a little, and think it was an experience that i don't completely regret.