Thursday, September 9, 2010

Here we go...

As diverse and complex as human conflict is, at the core of every clash there is a fundamental inability to understand someone else’s perspective. This gap in communication is present in all conflict, ranging from a fight with your girlfriend to civil wars. Art on the other hand, is the ultimate attempt at communicating with fellow human beings. It is pure expression. This powerful tool of solidarity complements the gap of understanding within conflict, providing a direct insight into the lives of others. In other words, art allows us to experience life through another perspective, or maybe even allow us to understand our own perspective better.

This all might sound fluffy, but it is absolutely true. Why do we read a novel if not to relate to the characters in it, identify with them, or simply just live in a fantasy world? Why do we sing out loud to a song written about someone else’s jerk ex-boyfriend? Why do we cry in the movies when a character that doesn’t exist loses a loved one? And do they really not exist?

They do. They exist in our minds, in our experience, and in our lives. We live through these characters, as bizarre or as unrealistic as they may be, because they represent the product of someone’s imagination. They are the result of one human being, reaching out to another. Of course this “they” I refer to does not have to be a “they” at all. The product of one’s imagination doesn’t have to be human, or lifelike, or even remotely coherent. It just has to speak to you:



But where does this art bonanza leave us in a world plagued with human conflict? Well, it shines a bit of light in the dark. It allows us to know our opponents better, not so we can defeat them, but so we can understand where they are coming from. Only then can we work towards a solution that acknowledges the desires of both parties, which is really the best solution one can come up with. Life is not a zero-sum game, so the best resolution will always be the one that allows all involved to be have some sort of satisfaction.

In practical terms, this use of art in conflict does not consist of having military leaders finger-painting together, but instead on generating a positive culture of expression, communication, and human interaction. By promoting opportunity of expression within a community, we not only allow for more understanding to be fostered, but we also create a ground for conversation. This idea is nothing new. Throughout the world there have countless organizations, individuals, artists and diplomats who have used this medium to resolve or facilitate the end of some sort of violence.

It is my intention to join that list of people, and pursue a life that promotes better communication between members of our human community. But in order to do so, I hope to first learn from the many before me who have done this, and that’s where this Blog comes in. Its title “NOBODY WILL LISTEN TO US UNLESS WE BRING OUR DRUMS” comes from Aida Namulinda, a farmer in Uganda who like many other women in a country plagued by HIV/AIDS has decided to take up instruments and spread knowledge about the disease through music. (Her story is in Singing for Life: HIV/AIDS and Music in Uganda, By Gregory Barz. A book that will likely be the subject of a full entry in the near future.) The quote embodies exactly this idea of art as the ultimate tool of communication, and is inspiring each and every time I read it. By researching and writing the entries on this blog, I hope to learn and be inspired by many people across the world that like Aida use art to fight against injustice and resolve some sort of conflict.

Aida’s quote brings up another important point. The violence that she is fighting with her campaign is not one that we typically think of as a “violent act.” It is not murder or torture, but it is instead ignorance and indifference. One of my personal idols Dr. Paul Farmer talks of a different kind of violence called “structural violence” in his book Pathologies of Power. He argues that issues such as racism, poverty and economic inequality are also forms of violence, because they infringe on social and economic rights of those disadvantaged by a community’s structures. I tend to agree with him, and therefore will broaden my research of conflict to not only include literal acts of violence, but also mention cases where art has fought for social and economic justice.

In my attempt to research the relationship between art and conflict, I think it will be useful to share what I find with anyone that is interested. I plan on doing that through this blog. I hope that it will provide a place for genuine criticism and conversation, because I believe that that’s the best way of understanding things. Each week – hopefully – I’ll publish a post related to some of that research. At most, it will get us talking and sharing ideas about conflict, development, art and whatever else may come up. At least, it will help me better my writing and research skills. Either way, I’m grateful for everyone that reads this.

PS: Thanks to my wonderful cousin Juanita Caspari, I realized that I did not label the two works of art on display. Here they are:

1- Guernica by Pablo Picasso, 1937
2- Number 31 by Jackson Pollock, 1950

Thanks Juanita!