Persuasive rather than polarising . Kwame kwei armah, welcome to hardtalk. Thank you so much for having me. It is a great pleasure to have you. Now, youve been in the Theatre Business as an actor, a writer and a director for the best part of three decades. Ijust used that phrase, some would call it a cliche, about the culture wars. Does it feel to you that today there is a somewhat toxic culture war . I think youve framed it beautifully. It is toxic, but most importantly, its disingenuous. In my humble opinion. Its used to kind of create political fear. And ourjob as artists is, i think, fundamentally to take away that fear, to take away the binaries that i think this farce of the culture wars are. You know, i often hear politicians and im not one to diss politicians, but i also often hear politicians use race or class or immigration or use history as a Battering Ram to get themselves into the hearts of the populist. But those issues youve just outlined race, immigration they are centr
Hardtalk. Kwame kweiarmah, welcome to hardtalk. , ~ , c, kwame kweiarmah, welcome to hardtalk. , ~ a kwame kweiarmah, welcome to hardtalk. , a c, hardtalk. Thank you so much for havin hardtalk. Thank you so much for having me hardtalk. Thank you so much for having me it hardtalk. Thank you so much for having me. It is hardtalk. Thank you so much for having me. It is a hardtalk. Thank you so much for having me. It is a great having me. It is a Great Pleasure having me. It is a Great Pleasure to having me. It is a Great Pleasure to have having me. It is a Great Pleasure to have you. | having me. It is a great i pleasure to have you. You having me. It is a Great Pleasure to have you. You have beenin pleasure to have you. You have been in the Theatre Business as an actor, writer and director for best part of three decades. Ijust for best part of three decades. I just used that for best part of three decades. Ijust used that phrase, some would use and call it a cliche about the culture wars
Ijust used that phrase, some would call it a cliche, about the culture wars. Does it feel to you that today there is a somewhat toxic culture war . I think youve framed it beautifully. It is toxic, but most importantly, its disingenuous. In my humble opinion. Its used to kind of create political fear. And ourjob as artists is, i think, fundamentally to take away that fear, to take away the binaries that i think this farce of the culture wars are. You know, i often hear politicians and im not one to diss politicians, but i also often hear politicians use race or class or immigration or use history as a Battering Ram to get themselves into the hearts of the populist. But those issues youve just outlined race, immigration they are central to your work, because theyre central to your own life story. Yeah, totally and utterly. But. And have you been frightened off entering this territory at times . Again, i think its framed brilliantly. Fortunately for me, or unfortunately, when im afraid o
You know, you literally imagine the street of london paved with gold and palaces and carriages with Kings And Queens and that sort of thing. Well, it has that sometimes they chuckle. So it took a bit of getting used to. But when youre young, its easier to adjust to a new environment than when youre old. And once i started school, you know, i settled down and, um. I did rather well at school because the education i had injamaica i went to an Elementary School was in some ways superior to what i was confronted with at my secondary school, tulse hill secondary school. For example, they didnt teach grammar in english, which i did injamaica. Mm hm. And it took a couple of years before i began doing simultaneous equations, when i was doing those injamaica. So you were educationally much more advanced. I was able to cope. So you were able to cope, but you say that you never really felt that you fitted in when you were at school in england. You say you made friends, but that the atmosphere was
you know, you literally imagine the street of london paved with gold and palaces and carriages with kings and queens and that sort of thing. well, it has that sometimes! they chuckle. so it took a bit of getting used to. but when you re young, it s easier to adjust to a new environment than when you re old. and once i started school, you know, i settled down and, um. i did rather well at school because the education i had injamaica i went to an elementary school was in some ways superior to what i was confronted with at my secondary school, tulse hill secondary school. for example, they didn t teach grammar in english, which i did injamaica. mm hm. and it took a couple of years before i began doing simultaneous equations, when i was doing those injamaica. so you were educationally much more advanced. i was able to cope. so you were able to cope, but you say that you never really felt that you fitted in when you were at school in england. you say you made friends, but that