Why We Need More Stories from Different Cultures: A Theatre Festival Director’s Perspective
What kind of society do we want to live in: one where our differences disappear, or one where they are celebrated? Fae Fichtner, co-director of Voila! Theatre Festival, explores this question in an opinion piece for Ikon, reflecting on migrant storytelling, representation and why cultural exchange matters more than ever.
by Fae Fichtner
We are in the midst of a resurgence of right-wing populism. Many powerful figures are questioning how we define human rights, and societal values are shifting. Alongside the climate crisis and wars breaking out around the globe, many people I know are disheartened, some scared. Politicians use migrants and minorities as scapegoats for the faults of the capitalist system, stoking the flames of xenophobia.
Luckily, art has always been a way to deal with friction and difficulty. People make art at the centre and on the fringes of our society, and they require safe spaces for their creativity to bloom. Marginalisation can cause audiences to stay away, while many venues are closing, reducing the visibility of our societal diversity. Cultural exchange, however, doesn’t stop. The most compelling stories emerge from history and cultural differences, reminding us that marginalisation does not extinguish cultural exchange. Instead, it changes, hides, deflects, rebels or drives change.
As co-director of Voila! Theatre Festival, an annual London festival championing migrant artists, multilingual performance and international storytelling, I see first-hand how important cultural exchange and visibility have become. Our aim is simple: offering a stage to those underrepresented in London’s cultural landscape. Many of the artists we feature choose to talk about difficult topics. These include tales of war, displacement and identity, such as R U OK?, Dünyada and The Voice of Butterflies. Sometimes this means that the work we programme requires safeguarding and long conversations with the artists in advance. Sometimes it means audiences come because they have learned about an artist from their native country telling a story about being a migrant, and they want to see themselves reflected on stage. We all know representation matters, and we have all been othered before. At Voila! there is nothing but others, because there is no norm. The festival has carved out a space for itself in London’s cultural landscape and provides a platform for all the stories the West End won’t tell (yet!).
Like our peers, we are affected by the current political climate. We spend more time than ever supporting artists as they manoeuvre the changing cultural landscape and navigate fundraising opportunities. We are a fringe festival, but we have kept our registration fees as low as possible. We also aim to counteract the current circumstances with development opportunities, producing support and sometimes shared grief for an industry that seemed to be flourishing post-Covid and is now in utter turmoil.
Many know the terms melting pot and salad bowl from sociological theories of multiculturalism. One scenario describes people’s cultural backgrounds melting into one combined society. The other describes a multitude of different cultures coming together under one dominant society while maintaining their individual traditions. Some think that the first is preferable and reduces friction. Others think (and I agree) that the second scenario allows individuals to maintain their cultural backgrounds and identity, shaping a richer society.
During my research for this piece, I looked into these theories again and found an article by Amanda Taub from 2017 titled Canada’s Secret to Resisting the West’s Populist Wave. What struck me about her argument was that she believes Canadians take pride in their diversity because they are actively involved in the immigration effort. Taub argues that Canada didn’t escape the advances of right-wing movements but actively defied them. This conclusion gave me hope that there is still time to act.
It made me hope that this is something Voila! can offer London’s cultural landscape in these turbulent times: a place to share stories and take pride in the display of our differences.
Katharina Reinthaller, my festival co-director, and I have this dream scenario when we talk about the audiences we reach. We imagine that there is a young theatre-goer in a shared London apartment who stumbles across our programme. This person finds a show in a different language – let’s say Bulgarian – and remembers that their elderly neighbour was born in Bulgaria. They go and knock on their neighbour’s door and suggest they go to the theatre together. Not only has this elderly person not been able to go by themselves in a while, but they have also never seen their native language spoken on a London stage.
Together, they share an evening of storytelling and art, going home knowing more about each other. This experience makes them connect and continue sharing their stories long after the evening itself. A bond is formed, a human feels seen and another takes pride in facilitating that moment. That’s the kind of salad bowl I want to live in.
For tickets and more information on the Voila! Theatre Festival, visit:
https://www.voilafestival.co.uk/
