One the Bear: a postcolonial radical hip hop herstory

• Main Author: Hatton, Christina
• Other Authors: The University of Newcastle. Faculty of Education & Arts, School of Education
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 2018
• Subjects: One the Bear; power; politics; Australian production; Black Honey Company; Bowers; First Nations
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1443732

This article explores the theatrical power and politics of a new Australian production called One the Bear by Candy Bowers and the Black Honey Company (http://blackhoneycompany.com). This high energy, magic realist hip hop fairytale sought to decolonise the TFY space by speaking out about the experiences, stories and identities of first nations women through its masterful use of allegory, music, dance and rhyme. Informed by radical feminist and postcolonial politics, this game changing production burst onto the Australian TFY scene, pushing the boundaries of form, style and message to reposition audiences within complex narratives of oppression and power. It offers a multitude of provocations to young and old audiences to reconsider the impacts of colonisation and how it shapes the present and the future.