What exactly is institutional racism, and is it indeed something that exists within the Academy of Theatre and Dance? And if so, what exactly is happening? How are students and staff of colour treated differently from white people? And above all, how can we make it nicer for them to study and work at the ATD?

These are questions that (white) staff members were wondering about and could not easily find answers to. As a first step towards finding answers and change within the ATD, ATD staff members Suzanne Jager, Sylvia Alting van Geusau, Anthony Heidweiller and Martijn Smolders visited the exhibition ‘Our colonial inheritance’ at the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam.

The exhibition shows how colonialism helped shape today's world. A story told by multiple voices recounts a very painful shared past from different perspectives. Besides the ‘known’ history, it also includes beautiful stories of love, resistance, music and traditions. A special exhibition, carefully curated and very valuable to visit.

Visit by staff and tours by students
The visit answered many questions, but at the same time it raised perhaps even more new ones. Questions about trust, identity and about respectful conversation. About pain and fear and about how we as a society should deal with collective and trauma. And about how, as an art school, we can contribute to a more inclusive world and find the joy and confidence to engage in conversation about it.

You can visit the exhibition yourself, where occasional tours are also organised with ‘special guests’. These special guests include students from the ATD. For more information, visit amsterdam.wereldmuseum.nl