Artistic Responsibility

I just finished watching the HBO documentary, Dangerous Acts, Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus. First of all, I had no idea that Belarus is governed by a dictator. It seems utterly ridiculous that any country would be governed by a dictator in the 21st-century, but there you have it (And it happens in more countries than you might think). The documentary follows the lives of eight people, all members of the Belarus Free Theatre. They perform underground as their plays are overtly political in tone and content. Today, the Belarus Free Theatre has lost its performance space in Belarus, members are blacklisted under threat of KGB imprisonment, and many have sought political asylum elsewhere. The group continues to perform in those countries that allow it and have received critical acclaim as well as multiple awards for their important work.

The Belarus government attempted to silence these artists, but they continue to perform and to speak out. During the documentary, one member of the Belarus free theater comments that when the blacklist came out, it targeted artists, writers, musicians, and thespians, or the "creative intelligentsia". And that's the way it has always been. I'm not referring to Belarus now, but rather all of history. The "creative intelligentsia" has been viewed as dangerous, threats to the so-called "norm". It happened in America during McCarthyism, Germany during the Third Reich, Central America during the Cold War, and it's still happening now. People in power fear artists. Why?

Is it because they simply don't like art? Because they hate creativity? Maybe they just don't "get it" and think artists are weird.

No, it's much more than that.

People in power fear artists because artists insist on thinking for themselves. Artists showcase the ugly truths so few want to acknowledge. 

It is important to remember why we as artists do what we do. It's easy to say the arts shouldn't be cut from schools because they teach kids to express themselves, to collaborate, and to think critically. But that minimizes the arts' importance. It is essential to teach our children the arts because they need to know that it is more than okay to think outside the box; that it is more than okay to question the rules; that it is more than okay to make a bold statement about who they are and how they feel.

Artists matter because they are daring enough to scream, "This is not the story I want to tell!" Artists matter because they utilize a language that speaks directly to the souls of others. If artists were incapable of making real, lasting contributions to society, then people in power would have nothing to fear. But they do fear. They fear the group of people who know how to articulate the injustices and indignation of the world. They fear the group of people who give voices to the silent, courage to the fearful, and validation to the disreputable. 

Artists are not policymakers or philanthropists; we can't march into government offices and demand the people in charge do something. But we also cannot stand still and silent. We matter because we were born to question and magnify the evils of this world. We were also born to discover beauty in spite of this. I can't solve the world's problems, but I can call attention to them. And every time a story is shared, it is magnified. It will take a long time; people will be hurt and even die during the wait. But eventually the story will be magnified to so large a scale that it cannot be ignored and action must be taken. This is my duty as a human; this is my responsibility as an artist. 

For more information on the Belarus Free Theatre, visit their website: www.belarusfreetheatre.com

And check out the HBO documentary, Dangerous Acts, Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus: http://hbowatch.com/hbo-documentary-films-dangerous-acts-starring-the-unstable-elements-of-belarus/