Hello and welcome to dif, I am Nadia Says, one of the founders, and you can refer to me using the pronouns she or they. I have had many different hats in my professional life that has taken me to three different continents and, slowly but surely, has opened my eyes to many of the systems we live in and that are designed to keep us down, because imagine what we could do if we were free… In my current work as a curator, consultant, and educator mostly in the music industry and as founder of Your Mom’s Agency, I often have conversations about what freedom could mean: is it a world where artists can earn a living without the pressures of social media, is it a safer space where identity no longer matters, or is it a place where we all have the same means to fight injustice each time we face it, or a billion things more because freedom means the sky is the limit.
DEI means a lot to me in my work, in my personal life, and as a solution to most challenges of our current society; and within DEI I’d say the most important piece is currently intersectionality because communities and individuals should not be put into lonely and rigid boxes; all our demands for freedom and fairness are connected, we can only create a better society all together. How can we get along and get some important work done? This is what we will try and address at dif, at least for the music industry.
Resources
Postcolonialism alert: in 2023 the EU raised 130M by rejecting visas mostly from Black or Brown musicians from Africa and Asia. EU artists can mostly play easily in these countries, but the EU does not want to hear these artists’ music; they instead steal financial resources to weaken these artists. theguardian.com/global-development/article/2024/jun/25/african-asian-musicians-artists-condemn-humiliating-uk-eu-visa-refusals. As follow-ups, Tamizdat comment on the same subject in the USA, and Le Guess Who Festival tells stories of denied visa: https://cdm.link/le-guess-who-and-broken-visa-system.
Yes, this one is very long, but DJ-producer Works of Intent’s methodology is on point, this letter has achieved a lot and is worth your time: http://itsrosh.nfshost.com/letter.
Another long one by Patrick Hinton that shows why the intersection of class with all other characteristics changes all perspective, and why we will only make it if we manage to pull everybody’s resources together: mixmag.net/feature/how-cost-of-living-crisis-impacting-djs-producers-musicians-dance-music-nightlife-impact-investigation.
Another one by R.O.S.H. aka Works of Intent who talks about the commodification of identities and the taboo subject of self-tokenization: worksofintent.com/onehouse.
A study by the numbers initiated by consultant and analyst Janishia Jones to show intersectional patterns within our industry: pubroyaltyqueen.com/infographic.
The theory about sober-shaming by Eline Van Audenaerde plus follow-up practical tips, and don’t forget “It’s your body, your choice, and no justification is needed. When you say YES, you don’t go into a lengthy explanation as to why; so NO is a full sentence.”
Easy to read numbers and food for thought pieces by multiple writers and researchers: pec.ac.uk/research/diversity-and-inclusion/p2.
Real talk with London DEI activist Saskhia Menendez, if you are in the mood for an easy-going podcast.
Art x culture x politics x society podcast series by Berlin-based performer and DEI advocate Mad Kate who invites a vast variety of speakers.