Liberalism in Glasgow’s cultural sector: An anti-imperialist perspective
Written by members of the Solidarity Screenings team to be included in the publication 'Rupture Volume 1' by Rupture Cinema
Liberal Hellscape
Liberalism, the ideological foundation of the capitalist-imperialist world-system, permeates every aspect of of our existence. In Glasgow, one of the most evident examples is our thriving yet poisoned cultural sector. As principled anti-imperialists, we must understand that liberalism is a core part of imperialism. If we do not actively combat imperialism in the arts, whether that’s through divestment or ideologically, then imperialism will infiltrate us. All art is stamped with the brand of class, and as imperialism has spread its tentacles over the whole world, all art is touched by it too. In this context, we must remember that the anti-imperialist struggle – mainly expressed in national liberation wars – is the highest form of the class struggle.
Liberalism takes two forms – covert and overt. Let us begin with covert liberalism. Curation is as much about choosing what to show as it is about choosing what not to show. Arab cinema is rich with revolutionary militant films. The Palestine Film Unit, Heiny Srour and Youssef Chahine are some leading examples. Yet, when their films are shown, it is the subdued ones that repeatedly get chosen. While this art is beautiful and moving, one must wonder: Are the colonised only appealing to Western audiences when they suffer, when they need saving, when they can’t defend themselves? Is weakness the only way to make the colonised existence palatable to the coloniser? Reality is that what we are witnessing is the erasure of an invaluable offspring of the anti-colonial third wave cinema tradition – revolutionary and militant films from the Arab nation. The lack of interest to engage with extensive militant art comes from the preconceived notions created and upheld by liberalism. This makes us appreciative of current artwork that is either revolutionary in itself or that shows and brings focus back to older revolutionary work. Mohanad Yaqubi’s R 21 AKA Restoring Solidarity (2022) is one such example; working with archival films, Yakubi brings light to them, guiding us through time, and constructing a history for a liberated Palestine. With his approach, he breaks out of the liberal hellspace.
Now let us cover the overt form of liberalism, expressed in this example through censorship and imperialist funding. Glasgow Life, as part of Glasgow City Council, oversees its wide array of cultural venues and events, including the Glasgow International Festival (GI). The GI is Glasgow’s most formidable festival of contemporary art; taking place every two years, it awakens the city into a buzz with exhibitions all over Glasgow. Back in May of this year, in a tell-tale show of censorship, Glasgow Life issued a gag order blocking the GI from issuing statements in support of Palestine, showcasing themselves as the cultural arm of the imperialists. Our second example, is Baillie Gifford, an Edinburgh based insurance company, that among other investments that are tied to the Zionist entity also invest in arms companies. Yes, the arms companies that are currently enabling the genocide of Palestinians. Baillie Gifford do an excellent job demonstrating that international financial capital is deeply ingrained in the art world as proven by their sponsorships of several festivals and art institutions. How revolutionary can these festivals truly be? Only due to the hard work of Art Workers for Palestine Scotland is Baillie Gifford now facing consequences, with several arts organisations dropping their funding. So there we have it: On one hand art institutions linked to the imperialist state, on on the other hand finance capitalists deeply entrenched in art institutions. These two beasts work tightly together.
Revolutionary Art as a Tool for Political Education
As we have concluded, liberal and imperialist narratives are predominant in our cultural landscape. Therefore it is our role to showcase revolutionary art and by that elevate and shift the ideological battleground. As anti-imperialists in the belly of the beast, we are not disconnected from the revolutionary struggle in the periphery; in fact, we are in a key position to harm imperialism from the inside. As the Axis of Resistance calls for escalation time and time again, it is our responsibility to elevate our rhetoric and create a space openly in support of the anti-imperialist struggle. This means we must (a) uphold the Al-Thawabet, (b) wholeheartedly support the armed resistance and its leaders, (c) orient ourselves towards the Axis of Resistance and (d) call out paternalistic approaches in the solidarity movement. Leftist self-alienation is far too common in our landscape. We must combat isolation and create spaces where language isn’t diluted, but where we embrace the correct and majority opinion in the world to support the anti-imperialist struggle. After all, if we don’t speak, then the liberals will speak for us. As the Arab national liberation war and the general international struggle reaches new heights, we must prioritise building these spaces and propagate militant agitational art in our city. No more art as spectacle to be consumed and discarded! Our model as culture workers remains Hani Jawhariyyeh who saw cinema as an extension of the armed national liberation struggle. A gun in one hand, the camera in the other. He lived as he filmed, a militant revolutionary. Martyred on the frontlines.