Some stories about change – about how it is made by people who care enough to challenge ‘the ways things are done’.
The invention of rape kits
The powerful story of how one woman changed the attitude of the criminal justice system to sexual assault, and how a man got the credit.
We need to talk about Egyptology
Since the beginning of lockdown, The Egypt Exploration Society has been hosting a popular series of great online lectures. (Full disclosure: I am a past trustee of the Society). On 12 June they held a special event to explore Egyptology’s roots in colonial expansion and how those beginnings have continued to shape the discipline and relationships. To host such a difficult and controversial discussion online and in public was a brave move for the Society and for those involved: Carl Graves (Director) and Heba Abd el Gawad (an Egyptian archaeologist).
Chris Naunton, the Society’s former Director, has written about it on his blog.
Slung Low – A Club On The Edge Of Town
Over the past few months several people have talked about their admiration for how theatre company Slung Low is supporting their community during lockdown. This recent short film blew me away.
Organising differently
I am researching different ways of organising far and wide at the moment. As I watched BBC’s ‘Remarkable Places to Eat’ last night, I was really struck by the conversation at Al Fassia restaurant – ‘you have no head chef, how do people know what to do?’ The smiling reply in this kitchen run by women was along the lines that everyone knows what they have to do. It’s worth having a look in case you missed it, the food looks fabulous too!
#WeShallNotBeRemoved
#WeShallNotBeRemoved is an emergency response led by disabled people for disabled people working across the UK’s creative industries. Designed as a forum to advocate, campaign and support D/deaf, neurodiverse and disabled creative practitioners and organisations through and after COVID.
#WeShallNotBeRemoved is giving us a place to meet, to shelter, share and reimagine. We MUST be at the centre of the cultural sector to come, one that is both physical and virtual, includes all and excludes no one.
Follow the #WeShallNotBeRemoved conversation on twitter.
Humans Move
An extraordinary project for a very new company. Please support Jessie and her company with this inaugural, international online event.
Saturday 20 June, 4pm (BST) at www.amam.cymru/nationaltheatrewales
Bringing together an integrated company of disabled and non-disabled dancers from Wales, Ethiopia, England and Spain, Humans Move will explore how we hold fast to our sense of self, when the world around us is so uncertain and shifting…
Welsh choreographer Jessie splits her time between Wales and Ethiopia and brings people from both cultures together through her work. While they are separated – physically and geographically – Jessie and her performers will connect in movement through a digital space, expanding our horizons as we watch them move, allowing us to connect all our isolated worlds through the screen, and remember what fundamentally makes us human. Until we can meet again in person, this is a live dance performance that we can all enjoy – in a digital space – together.