Creative Destruction

Arts are everywhere in the UK. From our well-established national galleries to our well-humoured TV shows; they showcase our national talent, British humour and the skills of our creators. But recently, the arts may be at risk of being accessible only to the elite and the industry shut off to undiscovered creatives.

The Covid-19 bailout for the arts has only been announced with £1.57bn in emergency support. However, subsidies and continual support is not only needed to keep these establishments alive, but to nurture future talent.

Additionally, there is another threat to accessibility for the arts. State schools have proposed reducing the total number of GCSEs students are taking. Slashing art, music, design subjects to support working class students will be more damaging than helpful. As private schools continue to offer the usual 8+ subjects, their students will be exposed to more options and opportunities further down the line. For private schools, creative subjects aren’t regarded as a luxury; they are a part of normal education. Why isn’t this the same case for state schools? Why is there a preconception that less well-off students can do without these subjects?

The consequences for future creatives will be devastating. Many will not even have the opportunity to explore potential skills, talents and ability. National creativity will become more elitist and consistently less accessible. This cannot happen!

Many working-class creatives have become national treasures, but they could only achieve this through support and chances. One notable woman is Michaela Coel. She has recently produced and starred in her latest series ‘I May Destroy You’. She has described her upbringing on a council estate in east London, where her family would receive “a bag of shit through our letter-box”. For working class students — and especially working class, black and female students — being denied the exploration of creativity from an early age will be catastrophic.

“The lack of varied perspective among producers, the lack of misfits producing telly can have catastrophic consequences,” Michaela says. This is an issue which will not only affect one class, but will also have a knock-on effect on intersecting conditions. She endured racial slurs throughout her creative education and lamented the lack of possibilities and assistance for minorities in television. Yet, all of her shows have been highly regarded and her genius awarded.

If this industry is already punishing enough for women like Michaela, what will it be like in the future? There needs to be a call for MORE aid for younger, talented women of colour, not LESS. Creativity should be celebrated and highly considered. It shouldn’t be a luxury only the rich can indulge in. Without diversity, there will be a single perspective in our shows and our arts. Talented individuals may be overlooked whilst mediocrity is normalized and championed.

AUTHOR: Dila Yalman

Dila is an Intern at GGM UK. She is an aspiring journalist and currently studies Economics at the University of Edinburgh.

Dila writes and edits for her university's Economics Magazine, as well as for a start-up fashion magazine. She also regularly writes pieces ranging from academic critiques to political reports for her blog. Most of her writing reflects what she has personally encountered and tells the story of real people.

Dila is seeking to assert her journalistic voice while providing a voice for those who do not have one and this is what she aims to gain from her experience at GGM UK.

New ‘anti-protest’ law puts a halt to protests in Hong Kong

June 2019 marked the start of protests in Hong Kong over the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019. The bill allowed suspected criminals to be extradited to China, which angered HongKongers, who argued that it would lead to them undergoing unjust trials.

Although the bill was revoked in September of that year, violent protests continued. According to the BBC, protestors labelled the act: “too little, too late.”

July 1st 2020 marked a further development. Beijing have enforced a new ‘anti-protest’ law.

The News states that the law aims to protect “national security.” It targets secession, subversion and terrorism. Those against the law believe that it will lead to more detentions and extraditions to China, as well as a battering to democracy.

The US and UK are the biggest critics of the act. They deem it to infringe on human rights. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: "[China] promised 50 years of freedom to the Hong Kong people, and gave them only 23."

The UK has reacted to the news in a more practical way, offering up to three million Hong Kong residents the chance to settle in the UK and eventually become a British citizen. The offer is available to people who were Hong Kong citizens before 1997.

So far, around 400 people have been arrested, but numbers look set to rise. Nine out of the 400 have been detained under the new anti-protest law. Protests have been marred by violence, with the police attacking protestors with tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons.

It is heart-breaking to see the lengths the Chinese regime have turned to, in order to sour protests which started off as a peaceful demonstration for democratic rights. Having travelled to Hong Kong with my family in the summer of 2014, it is hard to believe the Hong Kong on the news is the same Hong Kong I admired for its strong sense of community.

July 6th 2020 indicates a new addition to this developing story, with propaganda being imposed in Hong Kong schools. According to the Daily Mail, schools in Hong Kong are not allowed to give students reading material which speaks negatively about the new law.

Public libraries have also felt the brunt of this new measure. Pro-democracy politician Tanya Chan has seen her books removed from bookshelves.

Gone are the days of simply discussing propaganda in my History lessons on eighteenth century Asia. Propaganda is clearly still alive and thriving, almost as much as COVID-19.

Chinese officials show no signs of reversing the law. They have ignored global concern. Mr Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the UK, has even accused the UK of “trampling” over China’s decisions when they no longer have sovereignty over Hong Kong.

Hong Kong citizens are the real victims in all of this. They are the ones whose dreams are being trampled on by the Chinese regime. One Hong Kong resident — Leanne — who is only 13 feels “helpless and hopeless… we don’t know what will happen if we are sent to China” This is not the way a 13 year old should think. Leanne should be enjoying her time at school. She should not be imagining being forcefully taken from her home.

Cecilia, 53, a mother of two in Hong Kong said that even though she is scared, she will continue “to tweet, sign petitions and donate money.”

Let us all ensure that we do not forget about those in Hong Kong. Keep HongKongers in your thoughts and fill your social media accounts with information on their cause.

AUTHOR: Danielle Desouza

I am a 22 year old Politics and Communication Masters student at LSE, makeshift musician and aspiring political broadcaster. I am a staunch supporter of both gender and racial equality, being female and Indian. I want to edge closer to this goal daily by bringing to light injustices, through all forms of journalism.

Email: Danisacredh@outlook.com

Girl Woman Other - Bernardine Evaristo

No Spoilers :)

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo is a novel that follows the lives of 12 characters in the United Kingdom over the course of several decades. It was joint-winner (with Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments) of the Booker Prize for Fiction in 2019, which was richly deserved for its effortless inclusivity, and its exploration of time. I have personally never read a novel that expressed intersectionality (the different layers of our political identities), queerness and inter-generational relationships so beautifully and naturally.

During this period of time, when social justice is becoming openly discussed amongst people and institutions, it is important to be aware of the different types of people within this world, including the UK. Many identities face erasure from their own groups or mainstream groups and this book brings different races, religions and sexual identities together.

I was drawn to the first character, Amma, who is a lesbian socialist playwright and her daughter, Yazz, who is a defiant young woman who likes to educate herself thoroughly. I like both characters because they subvert what we are collectively taught. Schools and the media teach us about playwrights who were or are white men. We are never taught about black women or black lesbian women and it just creates the perception that they do not exist. Additionally, the media always tends to portray young people, especially young people of colour, as immature and less successful because they are young and Yazz subverts this perfectly. She is an educated black character who does not seek the approval of her white peers and I absolutely love that.

The relationship between Amma and Yazz is also one that wouldn’t be deemed as conventional. We see how Amma, who would have been considered radical in her time, is not in Yazz’s time and this causes conflict in their relationship. To read about a black mother and daughter speak about LGBTQ matters and feminism is quite unconventional, as queer or political based subjects tend to be a taboo. This book shows a side of the black community that rarely makes it into the media or conversations about black people.

Personally, despite the novel being fictional, the incorporation of all types of people seems so facile it is presented as a documentation of people’s lives. From non-binary character, Morgan, who explores their gender identity through the internet, to black straight women like Shirley, who find it difficult to navigate queer spaces, the spectrum is vast, just like our world.

This book helps readers step into the life of another and question what we accept as normal. It delves fully into the unconventional, unknown world of the UK that many may be oblivious to. I particularly love the book’s ability to provoke questions and thoughts on the meaning of ‘selling out’ - what it is like to settle for a man who upholds patriarchal views when you’re a feminist; what a chosen family truly means; the progression of equality over time. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a thought-provoking read, a book that gives new insight into the UK from minority perspectives.

AUTHOR: Olamide Taiwo

My name is Olamide Taiwo and I’m 18. I have always loved to write whether it be poetry, reviews, essays etc. Becoming a blogger allows me to write and publish issues that I see and go through. So I hope the readers hold on because this will be a pleasant but bumpy ride😊.