Shakespeare a "canon of imperialism"
Defunded in New Zealand
New Zealand Arts Council denied funding to a high school Shakespeare festival in part because it was “located within a canon of imperialism,” but a close examination of his work shows the Bard himself was no fan of imperialism.1
What brought the controversy into the public spotlight this time was a denial of Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand’s application for a relatively minor $31,000 to fund the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival. The request was declined by Creative New Zealand because “the proposal did not demonstrate the relevance in this time and place and landscape to the contemporary art context of New Zealand.”2
There is nothing remotely conservative or rigid about Shakespeare’s work. He was the most remarkable of a group of playwrights who emerged during a period of intense political and social ferment, as the rising bourgeois class was beginning to chafe against the stifling feudal system. Plays such as Othello, Romeo and Juliet and Richard III demonstrate his profound interest and understanding of the fate of individuals—including men and women of various classes, races and nationalities, who come into conflict with authority, social prejudices and tyrannical regimes.3
The decision drew strong backlash from many in the drama industry. Playwright Derek Doddington – called it a “travesty”. Others said it was taking away the already minimal opportunities for young budding actors in our country.
Actor and director Emmett Skilton rejected claims that Shakespeare was not relevant to Aotearoa and stressed that it gave teenagers a chance to identify how the 400-year-old writing fits within our culture.
Some of our most successful film stars, including actor Sam Neill, grew up performing Shakespeare’s plays. Neill called the funding cut “utterly miserable, mean-spirited stupidity”.4
Geoff Johnson: New Zealand controversy shows why Shakespeare is still relevant to today's kids. Times-Colonist October 20, 2022.
Ibid.
Tom Peters, New Zealand arts funding agency attacks Shakespeare as part of “canon of imperialism” WSWS. November 2, 2022.
Jake Kenny. Cheat Sheet: Why did Creative NZ cut its Shakespeare funding? Stuff. October 18, 2022.
I don't like a lot about Stacey Abrams but the All-Star game being moved broke hearts. When she was president of the universe in Star whatever I just stopped with them.
The fast spreading "woke" nihilism in western academia onto K-12 education and arts & culture reminds me of the Taliban's destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. It's ignorant and superficial but deeply damaging. Whatever the original high flying ideals may have been, Its goal now can not be seen as being "critical", in matter of fact anything that has "critical" in its title these days is anything but, but to destroy history, tradition and culture in the name of some juvenile imagined new wordly harmony of endless multitudes of races, genders, ethnicities, cultures and ...fill in here your favorite fantasy of heaven on earth. Everything and everybody is "racist" and "imperialist" and the meaning of words and terminology have been watered down to mean actually almost nothing. The new educators are the least educated. It's a comedy and a tragedy.