Playwright Sarah Lee shares with GOLDENROOM how her Mixed ‘ race’ heritage influences her work exploring family dynamics & creating Positive Hair Day
Sarah Lee, made her name exploring the complex issues of identity and in particular the experiences faced by people of Mixed ‘race’ heritage. Her second play, ’Snakes and Ladders’ debuted in 2011 and is due to tour early in 2014.
http://goldenroom.co.uk/issue/september-2013/article/my-story-sarah-lee
‘The personal is always political and the political is always personal’ is the pithy phrase coined by Carol Hanisch in the 1970s.
So whilst at GOLDENROOM a considerable amount of content and energy looks at the esteemed recognition and representation of cross cultural identities in public life, we many no distinction or differences from the importance of these issues within our private lives, the domestic domains of our families and even our most inner selves. The questions of having a cross cultural wedding, raising children of dual heritage, how to care for and create a cross cultural family are essentially the same integral questions whether they are asked by policy makers or mothers, or both.
The savviest know that while family can be a refuge, conflict is equally at the heart of family life. Add some aspect of cross cultural relations to the domestic domain, and suddenly global conflicts and historical enmities are being re-enacted in your lounge. Author Aisha Ashraf has joined GOLDENROOM this month to share just how macro politics and cultural stereotypes influences her cross cultural family life and called into question her deeply personal loyalties. Sarah Lee, playwright shares how growing up Mixed-race has influenced her work and her continuing intrigue into the dynamics of family life. Keep an eye out for her latest production, ‘Snakes and Ladders’.
Times have changed for Mixed–race children and most importantly the way in which experts and caregivers think about raising children of Mixed heritage has changed too. We have a short synopsis of the academic views combined with the real expert advice from parents of Mixed heritage children themselves in ‘Raising Mixed Children’.
That is not to leave out those families who may be ‘racially’ or ethnically the same but linguistically and hence culturally mixed too. So, we have explored a few myths about raising bilingual children and expounded on the brain benefits (backed up by the latest medical research) of bilingualism for young and old in our Health, Wholeness and Wellbeing article this month.
We like to back up our information resources with real, material services and so we are sure you will be delighted to learn about Scrapstores UK this month, as well as MOSAIC, both of which are essential to family life, but enriching too.
Take a step back in time and review the life of cross cultural ICON Josephine Baker or bask the resonant vocal beauty of Icelandic- Italian singer-songwriter Emiliano Torrini, whose latest album, ‘Tookah’, we are recommending this month.
Just as family life is richly layered and multi-dimensional, this issue of GOLDENROOM, with its theme of ‘Family and Children’ reflects that potent dynamism at levels both personal and political.
Kind Regards,
Dr. W.J.Tuinstra
Editor in Chief
GOLDENROOM
Online Journal for Cross Cultural Relations
Posted in About
Tagged 'Snakes and Ladders' play, Aisha Ashraf, bilingual children, bilingualism, brain benefits of bilingualism, Cathy Glass, David Baddiel, Emilian Torrini, Golden Moments Experiences, half caste, inter faith couples, interracial relationships, Josephine Baker, mixed faith couples, mixed faith families, mixed race children, MOSAIC Brighton, mulatto, Omid Djalili, Plenty Productions, race, race relations, Sarah Naomi Lee, Scapstores UK, The Infidel
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An Experience not to be forgotten. The Inter Faith Iftar sponsored by the Ramadan Experience,was for all participants, profound in terms of inter faith relations, but also inter and intra- personal development. Hilary Hopwood, a practicing Anglican, fasted, and though she found it difficult also found it to be a personally transformative experience and one which she hopes to repeat.
http://goldenroom.co.uk/issue/august-2013/article/experiencing-ramadan-20132014
Making Plans for the Weekend? GOLDENROOM features games where everyone wins!
The alternative to a hyper- competitive culture, cooperative activities are not new and are not limited to children’s play. Enjoy reading about the variety of cooperative activities and their applications in therapeutic, work and team building settings too.
http://goldenroom.co.uk/issue/august-2013/article/everyone-wins
This month to coincide with our Sports theme we look at the mixed race, cross cultural athletes who are taking their place in the upper echelons of the sporting world. While many will be on the A-list of celebrities, we also have a few athletes whose mixed heritage or cross cultural identity may surprise you. And most surprising of all, this article reveals some of the extreme challenges mixed race, cross cultural athletes have faced.
http://goldenroom.co.uk/issue/august-2013/article/winning-the-human-race
Contrary to popular belief, for Dean Marciny, the experience of being Anglo -Indian was not one of privilege and glamour. Very often his family lived on the poverty line as a direct consequence of discrimination.
And yet his mixed heritage afforded Marciny with a remarkable cross cultural fluency which he turned to his full advantage.
Now, for GOLDENROOM, Marciny shares ‘The Anglo- Indian Experience’ as well as a few top tips for parents of mixed race children.
http://goldenroom.co.uk/issue/august-2013/article/my-story-dean-marciny-the-anglo-indian-experience
Posted in Journal Issues
Tagged Anglo Indian, body by vi challenge, dean marciny, discrimination, half caste, identity, mixed race, multiheritage children, Vi
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