Natives: In conversation with Akala
Recently I had the pleasure of attending Natives: In conversation with Akala at The Wardrobe, Leeds. As you can expect if you are aware of Akala, he provided an eloquent, evidenced insight into how racism was constructed and now manifests itself in Britain.
The attendees of the event were as varied and diverse as you’d expect to see at an event like this. People of all ages, genders, and ethnicities.
Apart from a few flashes of the camera at the beginning, the room quickly settled. As the conversation began, there was one thing that united everyone: intense focus and anticipation. It was refreshing to be in a room without the abundance of people staring at screens, capturing the moment from behind their smartphones.
Throughout the evening, Akala consistently used a blend of personal anecdote, referenced historical evidence and timely humour to breakdown and contextualise the vast complexities of racism in the UK. From the obvious (National Front) to the insidious, (the racist bias that plagues the UK’s educational system), no stone was left unturned. A true masterclass in narrative creation, public speaking and elocution.
The conversation ended with an audience Q&A and, as expected, a flurry of hands took flight. There was a variety of questions, all of which were answered in depth. Even if Akala did promise to answer quickly, I don’t think anyone expected him to or were disappointed when he began elaborating on the answers.
One question, in particular, stood out to me. The question (paraphrased):
“How do you deal with stereotypes, the positive and negative?”
The man who asked the question shared some of his personal experience and gave the example of being signed up to run track athletics in school because of his ethnicity. The age-old trope resurfaced, “AlL BlAcK GuYs ArE FaSt”. I related, although my experience was slightly different; I was signed up to my school rugby team by my PE teacher in year 7 once he recognised my surname, Sterling, and made the connection to my father, an ex-pro Rugby League player. At the time, you were more likely to find me with a head in a book or kicking a football about, I had no real interest in playing rugby. So my rugby career began. I fit into the team relatively quickly and established myself as a regular in the team. To be clear, playing rugby exponentially enriched my secondary school experience and I still cherish many of those memories (particularly our tour to Canada).
But what would have happened if I wasn’t athletic? What would have happened if I didn’t live up to the name? Live up to the expectation they had of me? What would that have done for my confidence? My sense of identity?
I don’t want to hypothesize and project, instead I want to open the door. I want to hear from those that grew up challenging the stereotypes and breaking out of the box.
If you have had similar experiences and you would like to share and discuss. I am happy to use any medium you are comfortable: text, phone call, video, or a conversation over coffee!
Please get in touch via @nasdesignmdi (Twitter/Instagram) or visit the Wakanda Social facebook page and drop us a message
