Eating and being eaten – a predicament of

globalized contemporary society

by Marc Streit

zürich moves! – festival for contemporary arts practice in performing arts

from April 8 to 14, 2019, a co-production together with Tanzhaus Zürich, Migros
Museum für Contemporary Art, Cabaret Voltaire and in cooperation with ATOS de
FALA Rio de Janeiro

„Have we in fact all become homeless? Did the subjective house

dissolve, collapse, disappear? Where is identity? How can we
construct an identity in this world where national, cultural, ethnic,
religious, social, and sexual territories have lost their aura of truth,
irreversibly denaturalized themselves, got mixed up in all possible
ways, fluctuate or cease to exist? How can we rebuild a territory in
this shifting world? How to get along with this disorientation? How to
reorganize some meaning? How to conquer free zones of serenity?
And this transnational chorus oscillates in variations on the theme,
variations composed by affective positions that range from wonder to
the apocalyptic. Hope or hopelessness, it's all the same: poles of a
moralistic position that naturalizes a value system and uses it to
interpret, judge, and predict what is going on – a happy ending or the
end of everything.“ - Suely Rolnik

During my research and while conceptualizing the thematic frame, I let myself be
guided by feminist perspectives and arguments. In particular by Caroline Emcke,
Sara Ahmed, Audre Lorde, Rebecca Solnit, and Suely Rolnik. This process is
gradual assembly and building blocks, step by step, that in discourse, would
form a whole.

Feminism brings human beings together. Feminism must take root everywhere
because feminism has not yet been established everywhere. Moving against the
flow and consistently insisting upon something, time and time again, on the
continuous existence of precisely those things that we wish to put an end to. Or
possibly, feminism is a manner of starting anew. A feminist movement consists
of various different moments of a new beginning, as claimed by Sara Ahmed in
Living a Feminist Live! (2017).

Everyone should be able to recognize his or her identity and to thus encounter
others with respect and generosity. Making things visible, freeing them from
invisibility, giving them dignity and credit. All these thoughts have inspired me to
work out this concept.

I have travelled a lot, I work in an international cultural environment and wish to

promote personal encounters. This reality entails a certain complexity and

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demands a differentiated outlook on globalized cultural production. It is by
focusing on cultural appropriation and anthropophagy that I wish to make room
for reflection on cultural cannibalism and the analysis of different cultures within
the scope of contemporary cultural creativity and development.

In November 2017, I was in Rio de Janeiro upon the invitation by Coincidencia –

Pro Helvetia. This trip prompted me to choose this context for the 8th edition of
zürich moves! 2019. The personal contacts and controversial impressions
motivated me to pay close attention to the complexity of these realities in Brazil
and far beyond.

Increasingly, artists and cultural workers as well as organizations take part in

international activities. Common projects, exchanges, residencies, co-
productions and other forms of collaboration are to foster understanding for
different practices and cultures as well as building bridges by ensuring personal
encounters. Within the scope of such projects, “power relations” are not
uncommon, because challenges created by unequal economic or technical
conditions or a lack of certain human rights play a major role with regard to
implementation of projects and influence them decisively. I have gained much
practical experience realizing numerous international projects and am aware that
honest and, in part, also unpleasant discussions are part of the process and that,
at the end of the day, they strengthen the trust of all partners.
I am consciously mentioning this in reference to the topic of the 8th edition of
zürich moves!, as with this edition, colonial history, the representation of cultural
minorities as well as globalized cultural production are obviously unavoidable
topics that must be taken into consideration.

I consider art to be a metaphorical exile, a place of resistance and action, that

can and should create a new perspective and new meaning.

„I am interested to create relational dynamics where art functions as

an open, derivative, unpredictable, and challenging process.“
– Dora Garica

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Cultural Appropriation

The Oxford English Dictionary defines „appropriation” as: „The making of a

thing private property...; taking as one’s own or to one’s own use.“

Cultural appropriation therefore describes cultural transformation. The discourse

on cultural appropriation has been underway in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia
since the 70s and 80s. It refers to the adopting of cultural elements by members
of a different cultural group.

„Cultural appropriation requires moments of negotiations and does

not aim at definitive results.“ - Hans Peter Hahn

The minstrel shows in late 19th century in America are a good example of
today’s understanding of cultural appropriation: painted whites1 performed
different stereotypes to stultify and demean blacks for the amusement of a white
audience. Today, this is known as Blackfacing. Cultural appropriation is
particularly controversial in contemporary society, because individuals belonging
to the dominating culture2 appropriate things belonging to indigenous or minority
cultures. They do not have to fear discrimination on the labor market nor do they
have to face possible police brutality due to their ethnicity. Cultural
appropriation, in my opinion, always becomes relevant, when there is an
imbalance of power.

As Greg Tate, the American cultural theorist, argued in his book „Everything but
The Burden“ (2013), when addressing cultural appropriation, you need to look
beyond culture in the stricter sense of the term, i.e. music, theater, dance or
visual arts. Indeed, cultural appropriation is about culture in the broader sense,
i.e. culture as a way of life or a form of perception; the manner in which people
lend sense to themselves and the world they live in.

Practically all artists appropriate by adopting ideas, motives or practices inspired

by other cultures. “Subject appropriation” or “voice appropriation”, as mentioned
by James O. Young in his paper, “Cultural Appropriation and the Arts“ (2008), is
not directly linked to an artistic product but to the appropriation of a content or
topic of a society or its members.
In contemporary practice, this is often the case – in particular in collaborative
work processes. In this case, action always needs to be respectful of being and
thinking, and visibility needs to be ensured. This is how we ensure recognition
and positive experiences. The forming of an artistic identity demands a distinct
differentiation.

1
With regard to persons, the adjective „white“ is not a color but an often-used connotation and
attribution within the context of racism, dominance and power, which is why it has not been
capitalized and is in italics.
2
Members of the dominant culture / majority culture are all those persons who, based on the ethnical
attribution, white, benefit from societal circumstances.

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A culturally modern, hybrid and fluid society does not legitimize the violation or
disregard of minority cultures. However, political correctness should not be the
sole incentive – permanent re-adjusting and the questioning of our own thoughts
and actions are called for. This means a constant reflecting upon your own
position in society and constantly refreshing your cultural memory.

„Just as respect and acknowledgement require recognition of the

other; disregard and hate are often to be led back to misjudgment of
the other.” - Caroline Emcke

The diversity in our society as well as nomadic lifestyles and work habits lead us
to questioning our identity over and over again.
An inclusive society does not allow for foreigners or the others to be excluded
from a dominant culture but ensures that they are met with interest and esteem,
respect and generosity.

In my account, I will be dealing primarily with cultural appropriation within the

context of contemporary performance and dance. How do we deal with a
collaborative work process in contemporary performance? Does the common
work process encourage appropriation or does it help us to practice cultural
dialogue? How is appropriation reflected in transnational cultural production?
Obviously, a treatment cannot allow itself a view that is completely uncoupled
from other forms of appropriation. The dimension and argumentation demand
profound expertise and multidisciplinary reflection. I am interested in the
abundance and the philosophical approach towards this discussion. To me, it is
impossible to consider this moral issue and the discourse without taking into
account a philosophical perspective.

A pluralization of the perspectives is called for, a critical questioning of

perception and knowledge that is often neglected in a dominance culture. By
doing so, I would like to underline singularity because, after all, whether Muslim,
migrant, trans person, person of color3, or member of any other minority, we are
all basically on a quest for happiness and dignity. In argumentation, this is a fine
line. I assume that we are interested in discovering similarities and not primarily
in identifying differences – for this is the only way to give rise to empathy.

3
The term „...of color“, as used to describe persons, was not translated in the original German
version, because German equivalents are unable to reflect the complex discriminating context.

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Anthropophagy – On eating and being eaten

“It isn’t about devouring the antagonist or colonizer; it is about

liberating relationships from colonial intensions, not as a strategy to
create a new art work but as a political act towards the relationships
with the other.” – Tamara Cubas

Anthropophagy refers to the practices of the Tupinamba (Tupi), the indigenous

people, who populated a large part of Brazil before it was colonialized by the
Portuguese. The Tupi’s cannibalistic ritual at the beginning of the 16th century, in
Brazil prior to its colonialization, also involved eating captured enemies. This was
an important component of the intercultural contact between the Tupinamba and
the Portuguese assailants. This coined the identity formation of the „new“ Brazil.
This ritualistic mechanism was an important element in the formation of a new
identity for the people and the negotiation of the latter.

Eating the other (the enemy), is an extreme form of physical dominance. This
consumption of the other was not a destruction nor a defense mechanism but
meant the mixing of identities. The cannibalistic ritual allowed the other to enter
into the body of the devouring and thus form a new and strengthened creature.
Anthropophagy is particularly interesting with regard to assimilation, physical and
erotic communication. The anthropophagous ritual could extend over months or
even years. Cannibalism was only one of the different stadiums of the overall
process of this ritual. Because of the horror and the frightening notion the ritual
created in the eyes of the European intruders, it is the most referred to.

When we think of anthropophagy, we all only think of the devouring of slain

enemies. The ritual, however, is by far more complex. If an enemy is caught, they
will remain with the women of the tribe for a long period of time. It is only after
the process of assimilation that they will be killed, once a relationship with the
other has been established. The killing strengthens the own culture, because of
the otherness of the victim. Then, the anthropophagous ritual commences,
adhering to very precise rules. Only one person does not partake in it: the person
who killed the enemy. They must leave the tribe to find a second name in
abandonment, to paint their body anew and to thus represent the presence of
the enemy slain on his own body. Killing is the most radical form of the
experience of otherness. After his return, they will represent a form of
contamination of their own culture with foreign elements. If this destabilization
can be dealt with, then a new balance will be formed.

Anthropophagy was reinterpreted by modern society in 20th century Brazil. The

particularities of the anthropophagous movement remained fairly unknown
internationally, outside of Brazil. Tropicalismo4 is the most widespread notion in

4
„Tropicalism“ or the „Tropicalist Movement“ was a cultural movement in Brazil that
developed under the influence of avant-garde artistic trends as well as national and foreign
pop culture. This movement defined goals that, under the military regime of the late 60s,
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this context and serves as an umbrella term for the movement. Between 1922
and 1956, theoreticians of modern Brazilian society used the concept of
anthropophagy as a metaphor for the appropriation and interpretation of new
ideas from Europe in the local context. This served post-colonial Brazil as a tool
to blend the concept and the methodology in view of the integration of art,
culture and political history.

“Reflections on power, the collective, desire and the figure of the

‘Other’ construct a deliberate intertextual exploration - appropriation,
copying, contamination and recreation of works and ideas by other
people. Colonization in Brazil was carried out as a persistent effort to
establish Europeaneity here, adapted to the tropics and embodied in
miscegenation. However, it was always met with suborn resistance of
nature and the whims of history, which have formed us as we are,
despite the original intensions: so, opposed to “whiteness” and
vivilities, so internalized un-European as we are un-Indigenous and
un-Afro.” - Darcy Ribeiro

In his essay “Manifesto Antropofagò”, Oswald de Andrade illustrates how Brazil’s

modern society is experiencing cultural production that is simultaneously more
local and international. Up until today, the “Manifesto Antropofagò” serves as a
paradigm, demonstrating, in an exemplary manner, the formation of a modern
and cosmopolitan, albeit authentic, Brazilian culture that for a while now is no
longer solely influenced by Europe. Furthermore, Andrade emphasizes how this
“new” culture breathes new life into the global cultural landscape. With cultural
cannibalism, he fosters a juxtaposition of civilization and barbarism, the modern
and the primitive, the original and the derived.

Based on Oswald de Andrades essay, Suely Rolnik, a Brazilian psychotherapist,

culture and art critic, deduced the notion of “anthropophagous subjectivity”. Her
text was published for the first time in 1998, for the 24th Arte Contemporânea
Brasileira the focus of which was anthropophagy. Rolnik attempted to underline
the entanglement of artistic approaches on a global level with the correlation of
cultural practice. Anthropophagous polemics and the discussion of cultural
appropriation should never be reduced to a general picture or style but should
serve as an opportunity for the continuous reformulation of a cultural and
societal identity. In her essay, Suely Rolnik writes: “You can understand the body
in different manners. The body is part of the world. The other is not outside, as
you would normally assume. The outer other is the other of political correctness
that wants to be represented properly. But the other is created by my subjectivity
- it is not outside. Words hold power, which is why I always work on my wording,
and the other is the most misleading”. Rolnik couples this understanding of
subjectivity with the concepts of Deleuze and Guattari.

determined a large part of society, mainly manifesting itself in music; in artistic
manifestations such as fine arts, the cinema, and Brazilian theater. An example of this
movement is Caetano Velosos song, "Tropicália".
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This depiction is linked directly to „subject appropriation“ or „voice
appropriation“, mentioned in the chapter on cultural appropriation. Hybridization
and fluidity are therefore necessary for the construction of new universes and
territories.

The continuous reinterpretation of anthropophagy always led to a social

transformation. Anthropophagy serves as an important tool in dealing with the
policy of subjectivity, that is to say the policy of the subject and the mastering of
positive interaction with the other.

Since the shift to the right in 2016, for the first time since the military dictatorship
of the 80s, Brazil once again is suffering from tremendous inequality and brutal
violence against minorities. Understanding the other has therefore become more
essential than ever in that it encourages a collective identity. According to
UNICEF, every 23 minutes, the life of a person of color falls victim to police
brutality, thus destroying a future.

„For us, eating and being eaten belong to the terrible secret of love.
We love only the person we can eat. The person we hate we ‘can’t
swallow.’ That one makes us vomit.“ - Hélène Cixous