In the summer I had the opportunity to be a participant in the ‘Truth to Power Cafe’ at Hebden Bridge Trades Club as part of Hebden Bridge Arts Festival directed by Jen Heyes. Five months on, it remains a very cathartic and personally empowering experience to answer the question posed by London Artists Projects ‘who has power over you and what do you want to say to them?’
Whether you are a writer or performer, or have never spoken in public before, if you are feeling frustrated and disempowered, you may find it therapeutic to have a go at answering this question for yourself. It can be a way of releasing anger and despair, reflecting on your situation, and finding a way to move forward with hope. If nothing else, venting in a nonviolent and creative way enables us to let go of some negative emotions, which helps to free up our energy.
London Artists Projects are very clear that hate speech is not acceptable. Even when we are writing in rage, it’s important to keep our humanity and intent to create a better world for all. We can raise up ourselves and each other, without putting others down in a destructive way.
It is a lifetime’s work to free ourselves, and in some situations we may always have limited freedom, but within that we can still find a freedom to act with integrity in accordance with our values. Even if our words do not bring instant external change, we feel an inner shift of energy and perspective, and a strengthening of purpose. We also find solidarity with others who feel the same.
I surprised myself as I wrote a poem especially for ‘Truth to Power Cafe’. I found sorrow towards those who hold power over my life—not sorrow for myself, but for them, in their ever unsatisfied need to be so grasping. In this process we are transforming ourselves, finding our voices of power-from-within by speaking our truth to those who hold power-over us. This is what it means to speak truth to power.
Photo: Sarah Hickson