Mirielle Baluyot

Dr. Gibson

History 101-60

12 April, 2021

Research Paper #1: Famous Whistleblower, AiWeiWei Documentary Film

For some individuals they are considered heroes, and for others traitors. But what cannot

be questioned is the courage of those who stand up against the prevalent corruption or wrong

doings in their own organization, whether it is a corporation or the government. In a 2012

documentary film called, AiWeiWei: Never Sorry, directed by Alison Klayman, she follows artist

and activist AiWeiWei to Sichuan China, where he crusaded against a shoddy construction and

blames for the death of 5,200 school children in the 2008 earthquake that killed nearly 70,000

people.

In the pursuit of his art and love of freedom, artist and activist AiWeiwei has been a pain

in the neck for the Chinese authorities. When they have shut one door, he opens another like his

clever cat in the opening of this documentary. Famous Chinese artist and political whistleblower

named Ai Weiwei accuses his homeland’s government of neglecting the traumas of rural

residents during 2008’s catastrophic earthquake in the Sichuan region. AiWeiWei was trying to

help out many individuals that were affected and also be a voice for all of his people. Art has a

powerful impact because it has the power to educate people about almost anything, creates

awareness and presents information in a way that could be absorbed by many easily. It can be

used to give back hope or instill courage in a society that’s undergoing a lot of hardships. For
example, in the article, “Ai Weiwei remembers the Sichuan earthquake, ten years on,” Ai Weiwei

initiated a volunteer investigation and set out to identify each individual student that was killed

in the disaster. “He also used materials recovered from destroyed buildings in works that criticise

the Chinese government's response.” (2018)

Klayman captures the rage of police officers and low-level officials in Sichuan, where Ai

is clubbed in the head (off-screen) for his defiance. It was sad when police authorities would

follow him around. Every move that he would make is watched. During the documentary, he did

a great job letting the people know that the government is hiding a lot of things from the public.

He explains that no one should be deying what’s happening around them, we have to accept

reality and help fix problems. I thought about this scene and related it to our government in a

way that, I think our government is the same with aiweiwei’s story. They hide important

information from the public. I believe that there is a need for greater transparency because with

transparency it would help change the way the government operates, potentially change the

relationship between people and government officials, and enable groups that otherwise would

not be able to participate in governance. Powerful governments feel threatened by strong

individuals refuse to blend into the mass because some governments have strong foreign

supporters. I also feel like the government would be threatened because they feel that a specific

individual can easily inform and persuade the public on what ideas make more sense, than the

government.

Social media is a platform that allows everyone to have a voice. Some say it creates

excessive noise, but as in Ai Weiwei’s case, it allows for voices that desperately need to be

heard. However there are also pros and cons for social media. Some of the pros I believe social

media has is that it facilitates political changes, spreads information faster than any other media,
and anyone can post what they are feeling. The cons on the other hand is that false information

can be spreaded since there are some news stations that make up things that are not relevant to

the topic, anonymous accounts can be made and also spread saying false information, and it’s

hard to know which is fake news and good news. We simply wouldn’t know which ones are

telling the truth. The internet is continually shaping our world because the internet produces,

distributes, and uses digitized information in all formats. It is a global network. As mentioned in

the film by Ai WeiWei he said that, “it allows the public to change their opinion (2012)” The

internet helps many individuals to be aware of what’s going on in the world.

Someone in the documentary referred to Ai Weiwei as a “whistleblower,” which he did

not like because of the negative connotations attached to whistleblowers. I think the word

‘whistleblower’ is similar to being called a snitch. There were many individuals who were trying

to stop him from exposing the Chinese Government. I also believe that dissidents are necessary

for the health of society because if everyone follows what is being expected from them, there

wouldn't be any new ideas. I believe that people should have the freedom to express themselves

even if the truth can be disruptive because the government isn't always going to protect the

people. Not everything in life is about good news, we need to face reality and think about what

we should do to help make changes.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry gave me great insight into what life in China is like as an activist

against communism and the way the Chinese government runs the nation. After watching this

documentary it made me realize and began to understand what transliteracy is. Ai Weiwei used

an abundant amount of mediums to portray what he thought about the Chinese government.

When the Chinese government refused to give access to those wanting to investigate the true

impact of the 2008 earthquake, Ai Weiwei initiated the Sichuan Earthquake Names Project
which posted the names of 5,000 student victims who lost their lives. Throughout China’s long

history, almost every tragedy has been covered up; no facts are revealed, no inconvenient

memories persist. (2018) A corrupt system is able to survive and thrive, even when itself is the

cause of danger. China’s release of the number, without any names attached, was a major

concession to activists whose escalating calls for official statistics fueled an international media

frenzy. (2009) These societies leave no space for individuals to bear personal responsibility.

Towards the ending of Aiweiwei’s documentary, Ai Weiwei is detained for 81 days and is

released under the constraints of a gag order which means no interviews with journalists and, no

further use of Twitter, the service that allowed him to evade China's Internet censorship after his

blog was banned.

 Reference:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. IMDb. IMDb.com, 14 June 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2021.

"Ai Weiwei Challenges China's Government Over Earthquake." ArtAsiaPacific. Aug. 2009 Web.

13 Apr. 2021.

The Art Newspaper. "Ai Weiwei Remembers the Sichuan EARTHQUAKE, Ten Years on." 09

Aug. 2018. Web. 13 Apr. 2021.