“The arts are always inclusive!!”, “outdoor performance brings communities together!” “artists and audiences are open and welcoming!!”  These are phrases that I often hear in regard to diversity and inclusion within the arts. But is this really the case?  Recent political events have shown that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion can be divisive and questions of disability access have been questioned in Europe and across the world. After all, why provide access to work for diverse or disabled communities if that’s going to ruin your business and cause your plans to crash?  Why develop performances from refugee communities when we have talented, home-grown artists?

Certain Blacks presents an annual outdoor arts festival in Newham, East London, called Ensemble Festival.  The festival takes place in London’s Royal Docks, which were built at the height of Britain’s colonial power and rule over an empire in which the “Sun Never Sets”.

Our festival happens in a decidedly post-colonial area. Newham is home to one of the UK’s most diverse communities, with residents from the UK’s former colonies. Our festival presents work which is diverse and provocative, and we pride ourselves on presenting d/Deaf disabled and Global Majority artists, work from the LGTBQAI+ communities, and female-led work along with older, more established artists. The festival is a welcome feature in an area with few opportunities to see live entertainment, and it presents artists coming from across Europe to the joy of our audiences. 

Certain Blacks is part of England’s Without Walls, a network of festivals commissioning the creation of new work each year. The network includes Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, Brighton Festival, Norfolk and Norwich Festival and Stockton International Riverside Festival. Without Walls is formed by 35 different festival partners across the UK. It strives to support disabled and Global Majority outdoor artists to make work which then tours to the Touring Network partners.

The size of this network provides challenges to diverse artists, with many festivals having limited experience with artists’ access needs or knowledge of the barriers faced by d/Deaf and disabled teams and performers. To counter this, Without Walls supports artists in developing Access Riders for presenting festivals to discuss access needs, making sure that these are met before the artists arrive on site.

We believe festivals are at the heart of communities. However, in August 2024, the UK saw a number of riots fuelled by Right Wing hatred, community depravation and community unrest.  August is a peak time for outdoor festivals, and many of these incidents took place in areas where outdoor festivals and Mela (South Asian celebrations) activities are usually programmed. As a response, outdoor festivals and artistic programmes provided a focus for community cohesion and celebration, which went a long way to counter ill feelings and heal communities.

These incidents highlighted divisions and creaks within the country. Many Global Majority artists have faced racist incidents when touring, which makes performing and touring very difficult for them. To counter this, Certain Blacks is currently working to develop a Diversity Rider, which would be similar to the Accessibility and Inclusion Rider. We are aiming to give advice to festivals, security staff, and front-of-house stewards on how to tackle incidents and expected behaviours.

Commissioning new, diverse work can raise questions from artists, festivals and commissioners. Certain Blacks was established to provide a showcase and platform for artists to allow them to make the work they want to rather than work which is just about showcasing racial or gender identities. We want to widen the discussion and allow artists to make risky and challenging work. For example, one of our current commissions, “Best Friends”, from Crying in the Wilderness Productions, explores assisted dying, a current topic in the UK.

As part of Certain Blacks’ commissioning curatorial practice, we are interested in supporting challenging, risky and exciting ideas. For us, circus development is a high priority as we look to develop high-quality outdoor performances from new and emerging artists. For instance, we are currently commissioning Sadiq Ali Company to create "Tell Me". This show tells the story of HIV in the contemporary world and the issues that can be faced.

Telling relevant stories to audiences has become more important in the current world. With political misconceptions and confusing stories around refugees, migration and diversity we, as artists, have one responsibility.  That is to sell our stories and tell the truth, as we entertain and mesmerize.  I was once told by an old Austrian lecturer that our aim should be to “be a mirror on society and a dynamo for change” and this has never been a more urgent time to give this message.

Photo: Chad Taylor, Closer to my Dreams, © Sarah Hickson.

Clive Lyttle

Clive Lyttle is the Artistic Director of Certain Blacks which presents Ensemble Festival, an annual outdoor arts festival in London’s East End. He holds an MA in Cultural Leadership and specialises in Outdoor Arts. Clive is also a jazz musician and has worked with leading musicians and artists.