"I hope my work will slowly shift the consciousness of my audience and break down the violence, low self-esteem and hurt caused by structured racism," says South African storyteller, musician and videographer Kyla Philander.
When Philander was in grade eight, she faced her first experience of being shut down by dominant Western structures. The entire topic of African colonisation was to be covered in one 45-minute lesson. She tried to process the little bit of information she was given and became increasingly hurt and distressed.
“What would make people who have no origin in Africa come to the continent and disrespect the place and its people in such a malicious and violent way?” she thought to herself. She raised her hand and asked: “What if white people never came to Africa? Imagine what it would be like and how we would have evolved”. Her question was dismissed and never answered.
In order for the world to reach a more sustainable state, we have to start addressing the great inequalities we face on a global scale, says Philander.
Over time, Philander became increasingly angry by the way many non-whites are still treated in post-Apartheid South Africa. After realising she needed an outlet for her anger, she turned to creativity. “I needed a way to transfer that energy into productive and positive forces.”
This year for the first time, the Design Indaba Conference talks make their premiere on our app, conveniently packaged in one place and available for free download. To watch Kyla Philander's full conference talk download the app here or keep watching designindaba.com for updates.
Watch the Talk with Kyla Philander
