Creative Equity Toolkit

Safety considerations when working with people from diverse genders, sexualities and cultures

According to NAVA, Institutions and arts workers have a duty of care to ensure the safety of artists and communities engaged in their spaces.

The aim of this guide is to help the reader consider the specificities and complexities of experiences of gender, sexuality and culture and to share suggestions for adopting culturally safer practice. It touches upon intersectionality, cultural competency, prioritising discretion and disclosure of identity and includes safety tools for action.

Sidney Saltner – Youth Program Director, Bangarra Dance Theatre

Wulli Wulli and Wakka Wakka man Sidney Saltner helped establish intergenerational knowledge-sharing program 'Rekindling' as Youth Programs Director for Bangarra Dance Theatre. It links youth and Elders to collaborate on a dance work with a focus on identity and pride.

'In our communities there is a strong need for our youth and Elders to be brought together, to share knowledge and stories and rekindle that connection to culture and strengthen their identities.'

Suriya Women’s Development Centre

Suriya Women’s Development Centre has been working with women in Sri Lanka since 1990 with the aim to create an equitable and peaceful society which treats women with dignity.

The key attributes of Suriya's cultural activism are:
* Integrating cultural activism into programs
* Applying culturally appropriate methods
* Adopting a collaborative creative development process
* Building a resilient community arts practice

Taking action for cultural safety

Extract from the book 'The Relationship is the Project' on Cultural Safety and an overview of its four core principles:

1. Critical Self-Reflection
2. Engaged Communication
3. Minimised Power Imbalances
4. Decolonised Practice

'Cultural safety helps us develop different ways of thinking and talking about discrimination and then act to effect change.'

The film industry has a gatekeeping problem

Oluwaseun Babalola describes her experiences in the film industry: "I’ve found that when I’ve pitched work in the past that there’s a lot of emphasis on diversity and all this stuff about authenticity, but that same authenticity is based on what gatekeepers think is authentic. Usually, when it comes to Black and African stories they want things rooted in trauma – which isn’t necessarily a story you want to tell."

Illustration by Paola De La Cruz.