Black Briton’s Barbican blast

A carnival of protest descended on the Barbican over the weekend. Hundreds of people, some with African drums and placards claiming ‘I am somebody’ and ‘I’m not an object’, first marched from Moorgate station before pitching up outside the Barbican to hear awe inspiring poetry and inspirational speeches from activists, academics and poets alike.

Sara Myers the Birmingham-based activist who started the petition led the march, along with other organisers including Lee Jasper and Zita Holbourne. They along with many others chanted, ‘” Barbican, Barbican shame on you, we say No to the Human zoo.”

Speech after speech highlighted the institutional arrogance of the Barbican for telling Black people that, in effect  they know better than us when it comes to understanding and tackling racism.

Would a group of privileged men defy the women’s liberation movements and tell them against their wishes what anti-sexism looked like? Of course they wouldn’t. But this all white Barbican management, and virtually all white board, backing a white South African, seem hell bent on ignoring the voice of literally thousands of Black people here in the UK.

Campaigners have long argued that Exhibit B by Brett Bailey does not educate Black people in the history of slavery and oppression, but continues a white supremist strain of Black exploitation.

In a bid to further humiliate Black Britons, the artist Brett Bailey described those campaigning for racial justice and decency as an ‘angry mob’, and then stating  that “all publicity is good publicity".

The Barbican itself showed further contempt for those arguing that they should not put this grotesque version of the ‘human zoo’ on by reneging on a promise that they would accept in person the 20k signed petition.

The campaigners will now seek to have a dialogue the Black arts Company Nitro, which has been commissioned by Brett Bailey to find Black actors to  parad semi naked, in cages and or chained to the wall. All this to pander to Bailey’s exploitative project.

The group will also target the show when it opens on the 23rd Sept.

Simon Woolley