Filmmaker Abigail Disney was awarded an honorary doctorate this week from Lawrence University for her humanitarian work and her documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, which chronicled the protests of thousands of women against warlord president Charles Taylor during the Second Liberian Civil War. As a result of these protests, Taylor agreed to attend peace talks in neighboring Ghana, though violence continued to escalate in Liberia as the talks wore on. Finally, after weeks of empty deliberation, the women staged a sit-in at the building in which the talks were held and pressured the warlords to reach an agreement.In her acceptance speech, Disney recounted the story of the film's first showing to a group of women in Serbia. Though the reaction was mixed, many in the audience responded strongly to the Liberian women's message of peace and equality.
In many ways, Disney embodies the altermodern artist described by Nicolas Bourriaud in his book The Radicant. An American, and the grandneice of Walt Disney himself, Abigail has the capital to travel and root herself in Liberian culture, producing a work that holds significance in Serbia, America, and elsewhere. Through the international exchange of ideas and the utilization of documentary film, she is spearheading a worldwide movement towards equality and nonviolence.
Other links:
Peace is Loud
Daphne Foundation
I connect well with how you applied and saw one of the terms we discused in our book to Abagial disney.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to altermodernity, I feel she as an activist and filmmaker especially in the Pray the Devil back to Hell project higlighted her practice of cultural immersion, etc. Also, the fact that she mentioned she has now been to 23 countries demonstrates someone who practices cultural hybridization, or at least believes in connecting more with the world outside of her home town.
These practices have helped her to really to learn about whats in need of attaining peace in the world and how she can she more light on these issues.
She really stressed taking many chances in life to experience the life and culture of anyone different from you which is so important in general and through activism.
I think we are all trying to root ourselves in any aspect.
ReplyDeleteGood points all. Disney is using her resources to be the ultimate Radicant moving around the world creating a space for a dialog about peace.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the artist who does not have the resources to move around the globe- Can she be a radicant artist?
ReplyDelete@Zach:
ReplyDeleteI have my doubts that she can. Certainly the the internet makes some mobility and rerooting easier, but I think it's really easy for us American liberal art students (read: rich kids) to overestimate the significance of this. Even if she can be a radicant artist through technology, this only widens the "digital divide" between those of us who can afford the technology and those who can't.
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ReplyDeleteHarji B. addresses some of these concerns in an interview Lindsay posted:
ReplyDeletehttp://lindseyahlen.blogspot.com/2010/02/intermission.html