Students of racism

Theatre-in-Education's latest project, Citizenship, seeks to prise students from the grip of prejudice. Noemi Zarb reports.

Racism is once again raising its hydra head. It's an ugly, barb-stinging head which elicits despair, fear, fury, violence but even approval. Because the explosive mix that fires conflict erupting from prejudice and discrimination stems from an all-out assertion to affirm a threatened identity - that in itself is a repository of cherished (sometimes fanatically guarded) values and traditions. And the pride of a culture both at a personal and a communal level (no matter how justified or unjustified) is what is exploited and aggravated by centuries of misunderstanding and dark practices on all sides of the fence.

With racism increasingly hitting today's headlines it was highly topical for the teachers at the Drama Unit to recently get going on a Theatre-in-Education project, aptly named Citizenship, aimed at Form 3 and Form 4 students that would spotlight the burning issues involved. By mid-May, the cast, comprising Philip Stilon, Paul Portelli, Michael Tabone, Adrian Buckle, Bernardo Riolo, Stephanie Farrugia, Manuel Cauchi, Victor Debono and Anton Farrugia, began its brief Gozo stint. A few days on, it anchored at The Drama Centre, Blata l-Bajda for a two-week string of performances. That the original venue of St James Cavalier was switched to the larger premises at Blata l-Bajda manifests the substantial number of requests from State and Church schools to watch the performance. Now, a few cynics might comment on using such an activity to have a break from the classroom, but such cynicism possibly laced with sarcasm glosses over the reality of racial discrimination within and without the confines of a school or college.

Penned by Mr Buckle, Citizenship was inspired by an in-service course that he attended at the National Theatre of London last year, and shaped and reshaped by a good dose of discussion with his colleagues as well as by using his school visits to explore how pupils feel about the subject. In fact, the script developed by taking in their ideas and bias. In line with the educational projects undertaken by the Drama Unit, Citizenship aims "to make students think about contemporary and vital issues, to use their own minds and come to their own conclusions," Mr Buckle explains. "It's also an experience where we as teachers, are learning as much as the students. Kathryn Camilleri and Maria Schranz from the Jesuit Refugee Service were also invited to chip in the discussion that followed each performance.

Mr Buckle asserts that the students were faced with "a strong script" homing in on a group of friends watching an important English match at their favourite bar. "Tempers begin to flare when things start going wrong and Arab members of the group are verbally abused. When the son of the bar owner returns home after being beaten by a number of Arab bullies (his age), things grow out of hand . . ."

But before each session took off, the students in the audience were asked to select the criminal from the list of characters accompanied by their photos. Most times, the character called Hasan was chosen, "because he has an Arab name" or "because he has a menacing look". In the play, Hasan turns out to be an innocent victim, clearly indicating the dangerous grip of stereotypes. Once the curtain fell on the play, students were encouraged "to line up the characters according to responsibility in the crime".

A telling discussion usually followed as the students discussed each character's merits and flaws. Significantly, the character Alfred, who instigates racial hatred throughout the play, was usually slated for his insensitive and irresponsible antics. Students further objected to the behaviour of the parents in the play (the bar owners) for not offering "a sound atmosphere to their son", which opened up the argument to the impact of background versus personal responsibility.

What was the students' response?

"Boys were mainly concerned with refugees and their status," Mr Buckle replied, which brings to mind the controversial issue of immigrants - particularly illegal immigrants. "However, without wanting to sound sexist, I did feel that boys offered a more open mind on the subject, added Mr Buckle. "Perhaps girls are more protected and pampered. Perhaps they are taught to fear what is different more than boys. I don't know."

He cited a girl who insisted that news coverage in western countries depicts Arabs as terrorists and as a result cannot be refuted. "When we pointed out the existence of non-Arab terrorist groups like IRA, Brigate Rosse and ETA, she just shrugged them off as insignificant because news never concentrated on them. Eventually she was shocked and shattered to learn that certain news agencies manipulate news items to bring across the message they want. Some girls even taught that the Beslan tragedy was of Arab doing."

Not all the comments, however, were as myopic or misinformed. When a student referred to the low number of Arabs behind bars in Malta when compared to the number of Maltese inmates, another girl instantly pointed to the need to contextualise these figures by quoting population statistics. Her comments were as insightful as they were quick. "What I am pleased about with this project is that it challenges the students' way of thinking," Mr Buckle stressed. "One boy kept challenging a girl telling her, "I am your friend. Would it have been different if I were black?'" 

While Mr Buckle found himself "shocked at how racist many students are", he was satisfied that Citizenship goaded on an eye-opening debate where deeply ingrained prejudice was counteracted by mature repartee. His comments clearly showed how ignorance is what fans already smouldering flames. Nothing new of course. But there's a universe apart between making a statement from a detached perspective and living a life where the ills of racial discrimination are guaranteed much more than a daily wholesome meal. Nor is it easy to find a happy solution. Governments in Europe are currently wading through rewriting their legislation in order to cope with thorny realities.

"I don't think that this project makes students go through a process of purification from racist feelings. That was never the objective, anyway," Mr Buckle mused. Reiterating that the primary aim of Theatre-in-Education projects is to make students think for themselves, his parting shot was: "As teachers, we never offer options or solutions; we don't even offer opinions. We want children to make their own." 

In the students' words:

"Citizenship made a lot of sense because unfortunately many people, including several Maltese, discriminate against coloured people and Arabs. I believe that skin colour should not be an issue and that all types of people from all races can end up committing crimes. But I do expect people to behave well especially when they are living in a host country. I am also concerned about the boatloads of illegal immigrants coming over to Malta and taking up jobs. This bothers me because jobs are scarce and not because illegal immigrants come from a different culture."

"I believe that many Maltese are racist because they are influenced by films and other people's opinions. Yet there are also many tolerant people who readily accept everyone."

"I thoroughly enjoyed the play because it opened my eyes to the injustice of racism. Though it's a fact that coloured people and Arabs make crude passes at girls, not all of them behave badly."

"I do think that many Maltese are quite racist because they are particularly influenced by the media. I enjoyed watching the play because it dealt with a very 'now' issue."

"I liked the play very much because it pointed to racism even among parents. Young and old can be hypocritical because they mask their deep racism beneath a generous front. Citizenship made me even more aware of how cruel it is to be racist."

"While I believe that we should accept each other's opinions and keep well in mind that we all have an evil side, I admit that I'm not very tolerant of people from different cultures, especially those who come to Malta as illegal immigrants. It's very cheeky of them to ask for more and rebel when we are already feeding and sheltering them."

"Citizenship highlighted a problematic theme in an excellent way because it showed how different sorts of people react, either by supporting or taking it against victims of racial discrimination. This is the type of exposure that increases public awareness against racism."

"Citizenship was close to what is happening around us. But I don't think that most Maltese are racist deep down. Some pass racist remarks because they want to show off. These are weak people. I'm totally against racism and racists need to change their mentality."