Taking On Decolonisation

The annual Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations by T:> Works this year tackles the complex subject of decolonisation with a line-up of artists from the global south.

- ADINDA SALIM

As we navigate a global landscape marked by cultural diversity and historical injustices, the role of art in decolonisation becomes increasingly paramount.

The Per Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations presented by T:>Works this year is ready to have those conversations now. Leading the charge is a talented group of artists from Nigeria to Pakistan, redefining the boundaries of creativity, challenging dominant discourses, and reclaiming narratives long silenced by colonial legacies.

AN "AWAKENING"

Afrobeat pioneer, Nigerian musician, and activist Fela Kuti once said: "Music must awaken people to do their duty as citizens and act." At the height of his popularity in the 1970s, he used his music to call out injustices when Nigeria was in a state of chaos, with corruption and violence swirling amidst a military regime.

Kuti's legacy inspired Sunday Obiajulu Ozegbe, a trained dancer and performer from Nigeria. "My parents used to play Kuti's music a lot since I was three, and I always admired his bravery in calling out the government.

What struck me the most is that he was doing 'regular' activism," says the dancer who started in 2014 with Performance protest - as opposed to "traditional activism" - is Ozegbe's chosen form of activism. In 2019, he organised performances his dance team to raise awareness about young people being killed in his community. The wider event provided a platform to discuss issues and events that would otherwise be suppressed by the government.

Likewise, Sri Lankan Chathuri Nissansala, a multidisciplinary artist, said that it took moving away from home for her to be more aware of sociopolitical issues. That realisation came when she moved to Bangalore as a student and witnessed the 2018 movement to decriminalise homosexuality in India, a vestige of colonial law.