“They(Oppressed) must realize that they are fighting not merely for freedom from hunger, but for 

‘. . . freedom to create and to construct, to wonder and to venture…

 “

He borrows the sub-quote from Erich Fromm, El corazón del hombre: Su potencia para el bien y para el mal.

Fighting for freedom, in current times, usually involves basic needs like food, water, housing, health and education. There are plenty of revolutionary ideas and grass-roots organizations around providing/facilitating these basic needs, and without negating the importance of these, there is also an important freedom that is overlooked, the freedom of expression. The freedom to create, to explore, to pursue art. Art is the single most vehicle of self-expression and freedom, a definitive cry of empowerment, a common thread that connects humanity. It humanizes the dehumanized, sets the oppressed off on a liberative journey.

We, the Haan, Hum collective, have realized that - for the sex workers (marginalized by the society, frequently exploited, and denied their rights to explore opportunities available for the larger public), the experience of this creative freedom, with autonomy and agency to/edit/structure/co-create the creative components, facilitated through art and theatre, could provide a unique perspective into themselves, can spark an awareness of their oppression, and eventually start them towards a journey of liberation, in whatever form they choose to pursue.

• We create a safe and joyous space to connect, create and claim through small workshops, events, and other creative processes. 

• We conduct art explorations in Paint and clay, facilitated by theatre exercises and movement, where members of the oppressed community create artworks and reflect on their emotions and thoughts. 

• We also conduct Exhibitions, Performances, Art installations, Walks to invite the outside world to view the works, as equals, furthering the sense of self and community. 

• We do offsite explorations, taking the participants to experience their city in their terms.

• We listen. 

• We visit the community regularly, in smaller numbers or as a group to foster a sisterhood and establish a community of ambassadors for their own liberative journey. 

• The Community will be encouraged/facilitated to edit/tweak/co-create components of the workshop design, as we believe the community has the autonomy and agency to direct their own experiences.

• It is our belief and experience that the sex worker community holds the knowledge capital and emotional/psychological/artistic/craft capital to engage with the components of this design, and they will have the agency to add to, edit and co-create details of the artistic explorations, including but not limited to: medium, method, exhibit and content.