Engaging in theatrical pieces from the literary,
to active, and viewing the performances in Ireland has been an amazing
experience that I will always cherish and remember. I believe that I am the
first in my family to study abroad or even go to another country (from what I
can recall). I have changed so much since making the decision of moving from
L.A. to Berkeley and have learned a lot. Since being active in the Black
community at Berkeley we have spoken about race so much and it has definitely
been a change to engage in discussions surrounding gender and sexuality
primarily. Learning a bit about race relations in Ireland has been great even
though it has not been discussed as much as the aforementioned identities. But
those discussions have been very rewarding. In my different experiences in
pubs, discussing plays, and even going to Panti Bar, there seems to be an
underlying theme of Ireland breaking away from its silence on many issues. It
seems that those involved in theatre have been at the forefront of this as Uta
Hagen would have liked and this progression will not only help Ireland to grow,
but this is something America can learn as well.
When I first went through the terminal after
leaving my plane, I was trying to form a game plan of what I was going to do so
that I would not seem lost. I began to see pictures of different people on the
wall and see the description of the different pictures throughout the terminal
being that of Irish people. The photographer was doing a piece on the diversity
of Ireland with a range in age and gender (identities I can easily see). I
became disappointed when I did not see any Black faces or any other group of
people in these pictures besides the typical white-faced, red/black-haired
Irish person. I recalled the lecture in class which spoke about Ireland’s
direct connection with Africa not only because of their humanitarian efforts,
but because of their growing population of African emigrants in Ireland. Were
they not Irish because their family were not directly from Ireland? Then I
began to ask if they or any other race in Ireland even consider themselves to
be Irish. We have such a conflict in America where many do not call themselves
American because of historical race relations and there is the hyphenated
American as well. Is there such a thing in Ireland?
As the days progressed, the class was given an
assignment by Christine to interview the people of Ireland to record their
accents so we can have our own dialect journal. We all set out to do our interviews
and it was good craic speaking with the interviewees and starting that initial,
awkward approach. After finishing the second part of the assignment, I began to
question why I only went to those typical Irish faces I had seen on the
pictures at the airport? Do people of a different race become Irish by birth
and do they call themselves Irish? If they did, then should I not go to someone
of my color to interview them? As of yet, I have not challenged myself to ask
these questions of people directly but it is something I would like to know
before leaving this country. These are some of the issues that seem to not get
talked about amongst other things.
The question of being American and Irish for
different ethnicities came to me more on Independence Day. I reminisced on how
I was a child waiting for the fireworks to explode in the sky and having to
calm down my dog because he would bark continuously. This was the day that
America celebrated being free from Britain and while this was a great thing to
celebrate, we realize in our history that America still owned slaves. A
facebook quote by the famous Black comedian Chris Rock stated (paraphrased)
“Happy White Independence Day. I’m sure their slaves enjoyed the fireworks as
well.” There was a big uproar about it with both supporters and haters. The
slaves did not become free until years later, and even now, many
African-Americans are not treated as Americans, but as second class citizens
which makes it easy to understand why some do not call themselves American. It makes me wonder if there is such a history
in Ireland where the asylum seekers and emigrants do not call themselves Irish
because of their treatment here (which is rarely spoken of).
Ireland prides itself on their charitable
efforts in Africa and the similarities in discrimination they both faced since
they were the “Blacks of Europe.” With all that Ireland is doing in Africa,
there is still discrimination against them which is not discussed because this
side of the relationship is placed on the back burner. On Sunday I was able to
see the Dublin Zoo and enjoyed it despite the rain (which limited the animals
we were able to see). On the way there I see a bench with the words “No ni**er”
on it. Of course racism is everywhere, but I was shocked to see it so close to a
main attraction where families go and for the bench to not have been repainted.
Then there were the group of guys at the chimpanzee exhibit saying “Look
there’s Shaniqua and Sean Kingston.” I only heard it and didn’t see their
faces, but it made me wonder how race is being discussed in this country (if
they were Irish). There are instances of cultural ignorance around the world so
I realize the unfairness of blaming a whole country for the stupidity of the
few people.
There seems to be a culture of silence in
Ireland regarding its history of conflict, race, gender and sexuality. Starting
from the reading of Translations with
Owen describing the history of Tobair Vree to Yolland and saying how he was the
only person to know about it. It made me upset to see that he did not feel the
need to let anyone else know about its history. This seems to be a general
problem with the older generation who decide to keep quiet on their history and
leaving the gap for this generation to fill since we are being affected by it. Coming
from a generation that wants to discuss historical issues with different
identities it is difficult to hear people beginning to discuss part of Irish
history and then say, “…but we don’t talk about that.” This culture of silence
can be seen in the history of the Laundries with the religious infrastructure.
There were no questions asked regarding the treatment of the women within these
Laundries which enabled not only the priests, but the nuns and sisters to control
and abuse the women committed emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Different
hierarchical structures were rarely (if at all) questioned during these times
of conflict, abuse and discrimination which affects the way in which things are
taught in the present.
Panti calls attention to this notion of not
questioning different ideals in her mentioning of the New Gay. The New Gay
involves a world where gay people have assimilated into the world and have
accepted their place in society as the hairdresser, clothes designer, house
remodeler, and more stereotypes imposed on gay people. Being gay has just
become tolerated and has been limited to the acceptance of one type of gay for
men especially. The feminine gay man that is sold by corporations as the only
type of homosexuality in men has become emasculated as Panti states. There are
gay men who may not come across as such because they can pass for being
straight, which is not seen in the media. With this different aspect of the gay
man not seen, this is where we see the gay man as emasculated instead of an
expansion of what masculinity should be. Those gay men portrayed in the media
by corporations are being sold as commodity (especially to the women) just as
women are viewed as commodity for men. The New Gay definitely speaks to not
only homosexuality, but the overall idea of a society unwilling to question
what is being taught and how progress can be made.
Since being in Ireland, I have appreciated
reading and viewing theatrical pieces that seek to question the things that
need to be questioned and answer the questions which need answers. The theatre
seems to be where social change has been happening for centuries and
performances such as Wicked and The Lion King, while they are great
musical performances, do not bring the issues associated with identity to the
forefront. Those issues which were once silent are now coming to the open
through various performances and I hope that this trend continues not only with
the issues surrounding identity, but with the historical conflicts still
present in Ireland. I believe that these pieces will begin the healing process
that Ireland needs to become unified and it will be better equipped to tackle
other issues involving identity. Reading about theatre being at the political
forefront in Uta Hagen’s and viewing it through pieces such as Panti have been of great joy and has
added so much to my experience in my life. I feel more knowledgeable to be able
to hold these discussions within the Black community of Berkeley which is
needed, given that we have our own code of silence which needs to be broken.
Kasondra Walsh, Maya Miesner and Galvin L. Mathis (the author)
at "An Evening of Folklore and Fairies"
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