Collective Harvest 3 -- Decolonization

I chose to attend a Ted Talk titled “What’s Left of you? Performance, decolonization, & self-determination” but Jules Orcullo. I selected this event because I am interested in understanding how colonization affects not only broader structures, but also our personal identities and interpersonal relationships. The event also discussed various different ways that we can decolonize art and various forms of performance, something that I, as a poet, am interested in understanding and applying. This understanding of colonialism is essential to understanding its true effect, not just the event of land being stolen, but a pervasive structure that shapes multiple aspects of our lives.

In this event, Jules Orcullo explained the ideas of decolonization (the means by which colonial structures are dismantled) and self-determination (the act of freely creating your own future). She outlines three potential ways to recognize the whiteness of our cultural imaginations while offsetting its power. The first is investing in and creating new spaces in which you are not the other. The second is placing power in the process, celebrating discoveries made rather than targets achieved. The third is positive solidarity, showing up for other people not because you have anything in common, but solely because you believe that it is just and right. These were all very interesting to me, as they all focused on ways to decenter whiteness from our performances, allowing them to flourish.

This event definitely changed my outlook on colonialism and its relationship to our personal identities. While I understand that settler colonialism and colonialism are structures and not events (pardon me if I am warping the literature terminology), I never truly understood how deep these roots ran in terms of our various forms of expression. It is reassuring, however, to know that as deep as these roots run, there are ways to dismantle them.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOYE-gCdSM8