Last Sunday (April 18), the Silence Is Not Golden event was the coming together of a very talented group of 14 young people in the form of the Broadway Youth Board. Split into two creative acts, hard-hitting all-female spoken word collective Words In Motion and highly acclaimed Rhymes Won’t Wait, they combined to perform a plethora of issues that matter to the young people of Barking and Dagenham; and more specifically, young people who are too young to make their voices heard at the ballot box on May 6.

The night began with a very powerful performance from the event’s creative director, Dean Atta (pictured), who performed his poem ‘Revolution Awaiting Warriors’.  Then, before we were led to our seats, we were bombarded with a passionate deluge of monologues from the Broadway Youth Board; voicing their thoughts, opinions and determination to be heard – voices that are all too often pushed beneath the surface of communities.

This was followed by the main spectacle which was split into four sections; Domestic Silence, Nothing to Declare, Politically Incorrect and Silence Is Not Golden - each of which was followed by a short debate with the audience.

The first section of the evening focused on domestic violence and child abuse. Along with thought-provoking poetry pieces from Words in Motion and Rhymes Won’t Wait representatives, guest artists Daniel Limbaya and Chi-lin Nim from Love and Control (part of the Rise Dance Company) performed a very sensitive portrayal of a woman’s internal struggle to break free from her controlling and abusive partner. 

Aisling Fahey, a 16 year old spoken word poet from Walthamstow, east London, performed two poems which proved to be a delightful mix of global/social issues put together so coherently; uncompromising messages that really left their mark. 20 year old Deanna Rodger from Fulham performed ‘Read My Lips’ and ‘Where I’m From’ - also in spoken word. Her punchy pattern of rhythmic expression held the audience’s attention as we took in her memorable poetic insights.

The performances and debates in ‘Nothing to Declare’ highlighted Fairtrade and how brand-led our society is. What we recognise is what we tend to go for - sad but true for many of us. It definitely made the audience more aware of how much power we, the consumers, have to challenge the international trade system by making small changes to our shopping habits.

The link between human trafficking and major sporting events such as the Olympics (a period where the rate of prostitution has proven to rise) was also a prominent theme of the night, which begged the question - does slavery still exist…? Such a hot and controversial topic sparked mass debate among the audience – which varied in ages and cultural backgrounds – though the general consensus was that slavery does exist in many different forms, and we need to put a full stop to it.

An interval was due, but not before a set from Irish Londoner singer/songwriter, Maverick Sabre; whose attractive blend of acoustic hip hop and impressive melodies filled the room with his soulful presence.

"It definitely made the audience more aware of how much power we, the consumers, have to challenge the international trade system by making small changes to our shopping habits."

Racism, homophobia and politics were the key themes of debate in the remaining sections of the evening. Important questions were raised such as - why does negativity constantly dominate representations of certain ethnic groups, people of a certain class and from certain developing countries? Is society still uneasy about women and men who are gay? And if you’re old enough to join the army, have sex and gamble, why can’t you vote at 16? There was never a lack of hands in the air - one by one the responses flew in.

To close, rebellious anti-consumerist UK based artist, Aruba Red, filled the stage with her eclectic mix of reggae, acoustic and soul – treating the audience with a rare performance of a poem she wrote called ‘My Love’.

Brilliant music, stunning poetry, and vital debates. Anyone from local councillors to the youngest voices in the audience spoke up to press their views – such a forum was something that would be invaluable material for whoever steps into the seats of power after next month’s elections.

Words: Carissa Yeboah

Photo: Flickr user F0t0grafa