Or we do, and we just sit on it. I was, in fact, watching with absolute horror, as the news unfolded in China. China might be far away from the UK, but humans have made the planet small with all our comings and goings.
Still, in between times...
There was the absolute joy of working with Oxford Concert Party again, this time in Kirtlington Primary School, and renewing our working relationship with Filda from BK-LUWO.
Filda had been wanting to take the Ugandan folk story about Kamdenge further. It's a story that has been close to her heart for a long time. Like her, Kamdenge is a refugee. Like all refugees he has to make trustworthy friends and be resourceful, smart and brave. He also has to be true to himself.
Filda told the assembled school some of her own personal story and then she told the folk tale. We had, from that point, just five and a half weeks to turn it into a play - ie. write the script, write the music, rehearse the play and songs, make the props and costumes, before performing it for parents and the women of BK-LUWO.
The entire school?
Yes.
Five and half weeks?
Impossible.
But -
1. Children's memories are extraordinary.
2. If children are enthused, their imaginations soar.
3. If something is fun, important and worthwhile, they'll commit themselves.
By the end of our next session, the whole school had learnt our first song and I had a fabulous script writing team from Year 6.
We pretty much nailed the script in two sessions. These were the main actors, so they had a vested interest in good writing! They were not just quick and inspired, but they worked really well collectively.
Meanwhile, Arne and Isabel were assembling a chorus, dancing flames, marching soldiers, crested cranes, a rhinoceros, sacred ibis, peacocks, flamingos, an elephant, an antelope and a monkey.
The set began evolving early on, too - palm trees, backdrops, screens. Tony Lloyd, who I know as a superb printmaker and sculptor, turned out to be a maker extraordinaire. He made an absolutely convincing fridge full of food for one of the characters to wear, which brought the house down.
There was an array of musical instruments to learn to use and - as always - we had to mark out the playing space after lunch for each visit. We had warm afternoons and long sessions with the whole school which was tiring for us, but even more so for the children. Despite this, and with much encouragement from the teachers, they gave the rehearsals their all.
Our final performance was a big hit and Filda's daughter Grace, an inspiring woman herself, led the school out of the hall in huge vibrant snaking dance.
We would have very much liked to have taken the show to the community, but the world was beginning to close down one country after another, and we were not long to follow. I hope everyone felt sustained by the fantastic achievement in the following months. When the children are older and look back on 2020, I hope they remember that there was one story over and beyond the daily news that helped shaped their understanding of the world - a story of survival, ingenuity and compassion.
Arts work has become dormant. On the surface, at least. An artist never stops working, of course. In fact, for some of us, lockdown became a period of intense creativity. Normally I'm running around like a headless chicken. Having the luxury to write, read widely and think has allowed me to develop my own work. Normally, I spend the majority of my time facilitating other people's creative journeys.
Some interesting commissions have come my way. One is Smile Inside and you can see some of my work on the this site - I responded to stories by Gladys and Stephen. There is more work to come. I have teamed up with film-maker Peter Anderson to create a filmpoem based on Gladys's story. This will go live in September.
Poetry readings there have been a-plenty. They're all on Zoom now, which has the advantage of allowing people from other countries to attend. I have attended book launches and lectures as well and am buying more books than ever now that I'm not spending anything on travel. It isn't all doom and gloom. It's been great to link with poets in Bonn again and again, and fabulous to hear readings from across the pond and as far away as Singapore. I hope these relationships and opportunities remain for a very long time.
For my own part, I was made runner-up in the Poetry Society's Artlyst Art to Poetry Award and read to a fairly large audience this week. I also received the news that I'd won second place in the Poetry London Prize. I shall spend the money on buying more writing time.
So, an interesting year so far. But oh, the loss of live theatre and music, and the inescapable fact that the world's poorest continue to suffer most. If there is one thing this pandemic has shown us more clearly than anything else, it's the divide between rich and poor. Add to this the legacy of colonialism and the hard edge of white supremacy, and the world seems damaged almost beyond repair. Our ecosystem is collapsing too.
I think back to those five and a half weeks in a small Oxfordshire primary school and wonder what future the world's children have inherited. Many young people are very, very angry. Many more people are exhausted and terrified. We have a responsibility to get ourselves out of this mess. I hope we haven't left it too late. I think we should be listening to young people more. And we certainly should be listening to the people we have systematically kept down.
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