***All photos are copyrighted by @federivas***
This event was the culmination of a collaborative research project that Dr María Batlle is involved in with four cantoras (women music poets) from Chile and Argentina. Their project is supported by the Chilean government and King’s College London. In addition, Georgina Robinson is working with female capoeiristas (practitioners of Afro-Brazilian capoeira) as part of her PhD research.
The event brought together seven women who practice artistic forms of resistance from South America: four cantoras, women music poets from Chile and Argentina, and three women from Brazil and Argentina who teach the Afro-Brazilian martial art of capoeira. These popular art forms have historically been male-dominated and subjected to marginalisation and discrimination. To help reverse male-centric narratives and render female artists from Latin America more visible in academic contexts, Georgina and María invited these female leaders to deliver workshops, performances, and a roundtable discussion about what it means to resist in their respective art forms. Over two days, attendees took part in music, movement and poetry improvisation workshops with our guest artists; a concert with the cantoras; a capoeira live performance; and a roundtable discussion during which each artist could introduce their work and experiences as an artist in a male-dominated practice.
This innovative event opened the university to artists of popular performed art forms who do not have easy access to prestigious academic institutions, and whose skills are not always recognised as valuable sources of knowledge in Western contexts. We created a safe space for our guests to meet, exchange ideas and cultural experiences, and speak about their art forms using their own words in their native Spanish or Portuguese. Simultaneous translation was provided in English by María and Georgina.
The event was conceived through María’s and Georgina’s positionality as researcher-
practitioners. Their direct contact with artists based in South America and Europe enabled their access to the communities of researchers and practitioners who attended the event, and who have a vested interest in learning about the art forms represented. Event participants included academic staff and students from departments across King’s College London (DLLC; Music; History; CMCI); researchers from other schools such as UCL, Queen Mary, London Metropolitan University, and Roehampton University; and non-HEI professionals, artists, and members of the public, including South American nationals (Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina). Participants travelled from Germany, Oxford, Bristol, Kent, and London to attend the event.
The organisers were very happy with how the event unfolded and felt moved by the energy and meaningful connections between artists, students, researchers, and public members that this event facilitated. Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. The cantoras and capoeiristas spoke about how much they enjoyed meeting and learning from each other, and how the exposure to other Latin American art forms has inspired their own artistic practices. South American nationals who attended said they could identify with the themes of resistance, identity formation, and performance explored during the event.
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