blog
African Changemakers
Tue, 23 June 2009 - by Natasha Lipman
Africa. If you had asked me three weeks ago I probably couldn’t have told you much about it. HIV/Aids. Corruption. Extreme poverty. That pretty much would have been about it.
Then everything changed. I was selected by the British Council to attend the Africa Youth Forum as part of the UK delegation at one of their Global Changemakers events. 85 young ‘Changemakers’ met in Cape Town, South Africa to discuss the main issues affecting Africa, and what we, as young people can do to bring about change. About 90% of the people in attendance were from the African continent, with the rest of us coming from the UK, Australia, China, Egypt, Brazil, Chile and India.
When I arrived, I was greeted by such inspirational young people, with a genuine passion for the work that they do, and a genuine passion for Africa. It was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life. In the UK we’re all pretty blasé about where we come from. Although we may (or may not) be proud to be British, the majority of people here (and sorry if I’m generalising), don’t really have a burning passion for jolly ol’ Blighty.
The six days that I spent in Cape Town were six of the most inspirational, motivating, interesting, demanding and humbling days of my life. From day one we were involved in workshops, discussion groups and debates about the main issues affecting Africa. These ranged from the rights of girls to the effect that the FIFA World Cup will have on the continent in 2010. Even when we weren’t in organised discussions, the dining room and the ‘chill out’ area outside were always full of the sounds of debate and discussions. I learnt so much about a continent so rich in culture and opportunity that I was slightly embarrassed about how little I actually knew.
I specifically remember talking to George, a Kenyan, about the effects of post-colonisation and remarking how little is taught to us in the UK about this. Yes, the issue of empirical rule and colonisation is still a subject that we are afraid to touch on, for fear of being insensitive, but it’s something that demands our attention and awareness. It’s a shame, because Africa has so much to offer to the world, especially the young generation. There is so much wonderful culture and history to learn about, and so much light in its future. I only wish we had as much coverage about the good things that people are doing in Africa, about the change for the better, as we do about anything else.
The future of Africa lies in the young generation, and from the looks of it, after meeting the African Changemakers, the continent couldn’t be in safer hands.
Burlesque Battles
Wed, 17 June 2009 - by Tamara Barnett
There’s a small little political commotion going on right now in clubs and the art world in Britain. You probably noticed it briefly in the papers – you saw a small column to the side somewhere, noticed the word ‘burlesque’, looked a little closer and saw no smut (alas!) and moved on. This is probably happening to you again right now… but please do continue to read!
The Issue...
The issue regards Camden Council’s decision to classify burlesque
dance as adult entertainment, therefore banning it from most clubs and
theatres, which unlike strip joints don’t possess special licenses.
Camden is traditionally seen as one of the most left and liberal
councils, but like many British middle-class establishments with
dubiously fashionable socialist leanings, the place appears to be a
bastion of blinkered conservatism.
Why...?
The genius behind this is Councillor Don Williams, who admits he’s
never been to a burlesque show but says it’s all about ‘protecting the
kids’ so to speak. Well don’t get me a wrong; I admit I am all for
clamping down on freedoms on the odd occasion. You wont find me
shedding a tear if we adopted Sweden’s zero tolerance towards
prostitution, but Burlesque doesn’t pose a risk to anyone, unless the
occasional tumble in high heels count.
There is however ample evidence to show that strip clubs do pose a
threat to the public. Or rather women (but by talking about 52% of the
population, one always risks being accused of talking about a niche
market!). Stripping attracts a whole range of people, but essentially
these are almost all men. While some men just see it as a bit of fun,
it no doubt also attracts a certain type of man who can only claim to
‘love’ women in a most limited and crude sense which doesn’t include
the feeling the Beatles had in mind. Indeed, in Camden, a 2003 study
showed that the number of rapes in the area increased by 50% and
indecent assaults by 57% after four lap-dancing venues opened. While
it may be ‘empowering’ for the odd stripper, it does women in general
no favours.
What Burlesque is...
However Burlesque is something altogether different. It’s theatre –
essentially a weird and wonderful fusion of cabaret, dance, comedy,
art and politics. The philosopher Roger Scruton explained the
difference between a Titian painting of a nude and a pornographic
image by stating that the control lay in the nude’s gaze in the
former, while it lies in the mind of the viewer in the latter. The
same analogy works when comparing Burlesque with Lap dancing. The
erotic in the former is often suggested but never revealed, and the
power is always in the hands of the performer.
Burlesque dancers, unlike strippers come in all shapes, ages and sizes
and as Natasha Forrest, a former lap dancer, articulates it, they ‘use
creativity and originality, rather than youth and beauty, to charm
their audiences, and do not rely on their ability to turn people on
for the bulk of their wages…burlesque ironically pokes fun at
traditional gendered sexual roles while stripping relies on these
roles for its core existence’. Indeed, burlesque performer Vikki
Butterfly (seen recently in the Verve’s Love is Noise music video)
looks like something out of a Victorian music-box and dances to music
like Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. If you are hoping for the kind of
in-yer-face titillation you find in Nelly’s videos you’ll be
disappointed; this may explain why burlesque audiences are often made
up largely of ladies and camp gents.
The Problem...
Now this is not the crowd who will be making women feel unsafe at
night. However as the owner of the Proud Galleries (which until
recently hosted Burlesque nights) admitted - these burlesque nights in
Camden are now being replaced by much more overt, sexualized dancers
who pander to an almost exclusively male audience. So are women safer
after these changes in law have been put in place? Well seemingly not
then!
I could find only one example, in another bastion of tolerance along
Camden Council’s guidelines, The Guardian , claiming that there was
evidence that Burlesque was a ‘misogynist sham’. A journalist hack,
who used to be in a cabaret troupe with me no less, had decided to
make up a bizarre story of her exploitation at the hands of our
producers to nab a story. I knew from the first line describing
herself ‘As a shy, bewildered teenager,’ that something seriously
disingenuous was going on here (I don’t want to give her a reputation
but the pics of her naked chest on Facebook are still there so..) as
she went on to describe performers crying daily in the loos and how
her insecurities were used by cruel ‘managers (who) convinced me that
stripping was the perfect answer.’ As a voluntary cabaret group run by
two rather camp, gentle performers, it was anything but what she
described and most performers, male and female, chose not to take off
quite as much as she opted for. But whatever!
What is concerning however is what her article and Camden Council are
championing. Western art has always used the human body as a central
motif. Camden Council’s decision is essentially a step backwards in
that it is a direct censorship of art. I am not in fact against
censorship per se. What makes it absurd is that children (yep, those
ones Councillor Williams is so concerned about) watch far more
pornographic and misogynist images on TV every day in the form of
adverts, music videos and the like. Hence the misogynist claims in the
Guardian article are somewhat obsolete. If we want to tackle the
issue, clamping down on cabaret performers seems an odd place to
start.
Whether you agree with my point of view or not, politics at a local
level like this always creeps into the bigger picture. So if there is
a burlesque show near you and you are walking home alone late at
night, I’d say be careful of certain individuals nearby... but I’d
have your local councillors in mind!
For more, you can go to:
http://www.timeout.com/london/cabaret/blog/7591/Is_Camden_Council_banning_burlesque.html
http://rubyroom.aol.co.uk/2009/05/18/naughty-or-nice-the-burlesque-debate/
Photo courtesy of Felix42 contra la censura
The European Elections? Who actually cares?
Wed, 20 May 2009 - by Natasha Lipman
The European Elections are fast approaching, and although I doubt millions of people in the UK are scrambling to register, blowing up balloons and eagerly anticipating Election Day in an Obama-esque fashion, it’s something that the Great British population really does need to think about and get behind. Unfortunately the whole scandal surrounding MPs expenses have taken focus away from the politics and what is best for the country. We are now into the realm of mud flinging and sleaze slinging. Who can we vote for? Everyone is just as corrupt as each other. There are two ways I can see this turning out: hardly anyone will turn out to vote and the minority parties will be more successful than they have ever been before, or, everyone goes out to vote for anyone except the three main parties, and again, the minority parties will come out on top. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with being a minority party, but when parliamentary sleaze means that extreme right wing parties like the BNP are becoming more and more appealing to the general population, and especially in what were before Labour strongholds, Manchester and Merseyside, we might have a little bit of a problem.
First of all I have to say that I am not necessarily pro-Europe. With 27 countries all being represented by one parliament, there is no way a general consensus can be reached. The economic and social interests of the UK are no where near similar to those in countries such as Estonia or Lithuania. Many are of the opinion that it doesn’t really seem fair that our hard earned taxes should be sent over to other countries when there are so many problems at home that need just as much money and attention from the government. Most of us don’t really seem to care. We’re proud to say we’re English, not European. I’m guilty of this myself. I’ve had more than one argument with friends of mine from Europe where they turn around and say to me ‘yes, but you’re European too’, my answer always being ‘but I’m English. It’s different’. Does this mean we shouldn’t care what the results are of the European elections? In fact it’s quite the opposite. Being a member state of the EU means that the majority of our money gets spent by Brussels and most of our laws are set by the European Parliament.
The website for the European Government tells us that our MEP is our ‘voice in Europe’. No matter what your political leanings, or your frustration over the expenses scandal may be, we need to think who we want to be representing us as a country. I think that part of the problem is that no one really knows who represents us in Europe and what, in fact, they actually do. The European Parliament represents nearly half a billion people in 27 member states. The European Parliament is the only directly-elected body of the European Union and the MEPs are our representatives there. MEPs are elected once every five years, the next election to be held on 4th June.
If this whole business over expenses has taught us anything, it’s that we need to involved and aware in what’s going on. We all have the right to vote, and we have a responsibility to make our voices heard. We need to make it our duty to be informed and to make the right decision. Don’t come crying to me in two years if you don’t agree with what’s going on, you have no right to complain if you don’t make the effort to get involved.
Two Jags? Two Homes? I’m too angry to listen anymore.
Fri, 15 May 2009 - by Simon Davies
Lets face it, everyone’s pissed. Pardon if my language is crude there, but I don’t think I’m simply capturing the mood of the ‘youth’ over the Parliamentary expenses scandal when I use that phrase. EVERYONE is quite simply pissed.
And we have a right to be. When the news first started breaking, me being me (as everyone at C21 Towers would attest to) started with the devil’s advocate card. My line of thinking was everyone uses expense accounts to some extent to make life easier - when they are on offer. However, I must admit that I’m now in a state of shock; almost catatonic with fear that so many of our elected Parliamentarians were fixing the system in such a way. In terms of ‘sleaze’ it sort of makes Mark Oaten’s affair with a rent boy look like something that shouldn’t have derailed his campaign for the Liberal Democrat leadership. I cannot see a time when this issue will be completely put to rest.
The last 72 hours has been something special. I’m not trying to fan the flames here, but this will not end without someone going to prison. Elliot Morley is a good example. Earlier today the Taxpayers Alliance took the news that he was claiming allowance on a home that had no mortgage to the police. That is fraud of a very tall order. Andrew Mackay and Julie Kirkbride’s ‘stunt’ of claiming mortgage interest on their London home and constituency home is another one of my personal favourites. For any MP’s reading who might have a crush on a fellow MP – right there is a great reason not to get involved with one another, expenses become too complicated and the temptation to screw over your constituents in what is probably the most shameful way.
But in all seriousness, all this talk of changing the system and everyone in SW1 now piping up and screaming for quick alterations is irrelevant. The system in itself wasn’t bad. Like many of our Parliamentary processes its there to allow flexibility and puts the faith in the people that lead this country above the laws they make. That in the past has been the great thing about our country. Our leaders and representatives have taken pride in all that is around them, all that makes this country Britain. It seems that in the last ten years, as our nations identity has ebbed away so has the decency of its spokespersons. If I hear one more utterance from David Cameron coming up with some hair brained and stupid populist scheme like a real time internet database updating expenses I think I will laugh, scream and then get a flight out of this country. Cameron’s false sense of urgency to take the bull-by-the horns over this is only matched by Prime Minister Brown’s inept ability to lead. The man has frozen. He has gone from being a man of few words to being a man of no words. May his next sentence be the only decent thing – ‘I dissolve this Parliament’.
Because of course, dissolving Parliament as the next possible opportunity might actually be the one thing that gets some confidence back in the system. Whats more, it might lead to the highest turnout we’ve had in a General Election for sometime. Obviously we can’t have a June election because of the European polling, but Brown – if he is still a decent man – should be looking for an opportunity in or around September. If Brown wants a little selfish impetus (and after all selfish will be the word that defines his Premiership) this whole nonsense might actually benefit Labour in some strange way, in as much as it’s going to damage the Tories and their moats. Therefore, polling data right now is going to be going haywire! There's nothing but a lot of hate – someone should start taking bets again on a hung Parliament.
Rectifying trust can only begin by Parliament putting itself in the hands of the electorate as soon as possible. Until then, any apology or hollow ‘paying back’ gesture will echo around an empty room and this country will become more and more ungovernable.
Become a New Media Volunteer with Catch21 Productions!
Wed, 15 April 2009 - by Alex Sergent
We are looking for a pool of new media volunteers that can help us get news targeted at young people to the widest audiences possible.
Volunteers will:
* Promote our three weekly shows to their friends and networks and across the internet.
* Write blog entries about news stories that affect or interest you.
* Appear as a presenter on one of our weekly shows.
This is a flexible opportunity, you will be able to work from home and commit as much time to working with us as suits you best.
To apply to become a new media volunteer, please email onyekai@catch21.co.uk explaining why you would like to volunteer with Catch21 and your ideas on promoting our videos online as well as a 300 word blog entry.
New Shows
Tue, 3 March 2009 - by Alex Sergent
Catch 21, the UK's first internet television channel run by young people for young people, is launching three, brand new internet television shows. These new shows will enable young people to access, gain knowledge and interact with news and current affairs, making www.catch21.co.uk the place to go for the latest political news.
A series of interviews with players in the world of politics: MP’s, activists, journalists and other experts. Viewers will get the opportunity to gain a greater understanding about a particular issue that affects young people from authorities in that field.
Catch21’s flagship news programme where viewers will get the opportunity to learn about the latest news stories from young people’s perspective and hear other young people’s opinions on the issues.
An informal discussion show where young people chat about the recent news and current affairs topics at Catch21 HQ. Young people will get a chance to watch a discussion show that is directly targeted at them.
Comment here or on our facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6538756243 if you have any suggestions for topics we should discuss or if you want to get involved with presenting or appearing on our new shows.
Keep up to date with Catch21 by following us on Twitter http://twitter.com/catch21p
