DECOLONISING OUR WAYS

After our dance of exploration with Paternalism, the next natural step is with WHITENESS. 

Witnessing whiteness involves recognising and confronting the pervasive influence of white supremacy in our lives and societies. Whiteness is not just about skin color; it's a social construct that upholds systems of privilege and power, often invisibly. Decolonising whiteness means examining and challenging these systems, acknowledging the ways in which they shape our identities, interactions, and institutions.

This process requires deep reflection, humility, and a willingness to disrupt the status quo. It’s about moving beyond performative allyship to engage in meaningful actions that support equity and justice. By actively deconstructing whiteness, we create space for a world where all people are seen, heard, and valued.

What are we willing to unlearn, and how do we reimagine a future beyond whiteness?

We will also cover other topics that come up, but our main focus for this round will be Whitness.

 

And here is my extra blurb for those who are first time in the zoom with me x 

To dance with intentional awareness around the social constructs we live our lives with is a supportive pathway to making sustainable change. Recognising that systems are unhealthy is one thing, but knowing how to make compassionate changes to 'your way in the world' is often much harder to sustain. I have found over the last few years that the dance of decolonisation, with the inclusion of reindigenisation, supports a lasting awareness of your place amongst us all - the good parts of you and the kinda shitty parts too. Our insecurities enter the room when we are challenged to look at how colonised we truly are; defensiveness, guilt, shame, rage, and so on. 

They all arrive... AND this is good. 

This is part of the process, and we dance with the messy, uncertain investigation of your truths. We do this together with creative expression, with music, with the written word, with connection and curiosity. 

What once was a mess will be come clear, and then the radical imagination to what could be next. 

This work, this dance is a gift we can give each other, for our whānau, and for the generations to come. 

The Colonial worldview is damaging, and you know it. 

Be in the movement that brings about lasting change.  Our creative adaptability learned from the resources within embodied movement helps so much with the messiness of life right now. Through the dance, we find clarity; we learn to make intentional discomfort a dance, not a disaster. 

And we do it by viscerally learning with the body and the art in motion process. 

The benefits are rooted in a sense of belonging that supports our worthiness, and therefore, we have space to try something different, make mistakes, learn and grow.   We use the source of our Open Floor Circulim, Manahau Embodied Movement Facilitation and have a place to be human in the fullness of our expression to support the process of being alive right now. 

The series runs for four Mondays this time round, 7-8:30 PM, and then sharing until 9 - optional. 

Zoom is the software we will connect; I recommend getting a speaker or good headphones so the music sounds lush.

Open to all ages, any time zone, all abilities and bodies. 

Any questions please holla at me ~ kaiakindness@gmail.com

Image by the fabulous Anurag Sharma via Pixl