3.4: Manifesto
Section aim
In the fourth section, we consider the nature and place of a manifesto. A manifesto is defined as ‘a [written] statement of the beliefs, aims, and policies of an organisation’.
The objective is for you to examine examples of manifestos in the arts and begin foregrounding how they can be grounded in human rights language, and how this can add to the power of the statement.
Definitions
There are a number of ways to think about a manifesto:
“a [written] statement of the beliefs, aims, and policies of an organisation”
“A manifesto functions as both a statement of principles and a bold, sometimes rebellious, call to action. By causing people to evaluate the gap between those principles and their current reality, the manifesto challenges assumptions, fosters commitment, and provokes change.”
– The Art of Manliness, quoted in the Huffington Post
“a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a new idea with prescriptive notions for carrying out changes the author believes should be made. It often is political or artistic in nature, but may present an individual’s life stance.”
We will examine examples of manifestos in the arts and beyond considering how they can be grounded in human rights language, and how this can add to the power of the statement.
The ultimate goal – in the next section – is for you to develop a manifesto for your organisation around the right of disabled people to access your cultural venue and to engage in cultural life.
The purpose of developing this manifesto is for you to have a set of practical, realistic goals with respect to improving the rights of disabled people to access your cultural venue and to take part in cultural life in your venue.
Shaping a manifesto
At the end of the section 3.3, we suggested a framework containing a number of broad statements to think about the rights that are engaged in relation to cultural venues and activities.
In relation to each of these (and any others you wish to include) write two to three sentences describing and explaining how the right might be put into practice in your organisation for disabled people.
The purpose of carrying out this exercise is to think about how you can use the power of human rights language in your manifesto.
There is a range of freely accessible resources available on the internet which could be useful in helping you to think about your manifesto – although, perhaps tellingly, there seem few manifestos focusing on disabled people that have been published by cultural institutions.
- Alice Fox & Hannah Macpherson – Inclusive Arts Practice and Research: A Critical Manifesto [PDF]
- James Lamb – Manifesto for Teaching Online, June 2017 [Vimeo: 4:18]
- Nothing About You, Without You: A Manifesto With And For Disabled People [Labour Party]
- Tackling disability related harassment: A manifesto for change [PDF, Equality and Human Rights Commission]
- Manifesto Comparisons: what the parties are saying about Deaf and disability issues [UK Disabled People’s Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance]
- DaDaFest Launches Manifesto [DaDaFest]
- Museum Manifesto for Tolerance and Inclusion [PDF, Museums Association]
- Choreographer Yvonne Rainer’s No Manifesto [1000Manifestos.com]
- Creators’ Rights Manifesto [Creators’ Rights Alliance]
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