Positive vibes only?

Have you heard of the notion of ‘Toxic Positivity’? It can be described as the pressure to only display positive emotions, suppressing difficult emotions in favour of a cheerful and often falsely-positive façade. Born in the United States, this ‘positive thinking’ aims to change how we perceive ourselves and the world around us to improve our general well-being and influence our actions. It tends towards a capitalist "pursuit of happiness", never definable but often crystallized by material, personal and social success. 

This famous "looking on the bright side of life" can be experienced as an obligation to alienate oneself from the emotions we are going through. It invalidates the human experience in the allowance of a full spectrum of emotions, and can, in the long run, lead to trauma, isolation, and unhealthy coping. A notion difficult to avoid in our so-called "modern societies”. 

For this JOY edition of TiNWwP, we’d like to invite you to this talk with activists and artists to respond to this injunction to "positivity" that we may all experience. Because how can we remain positive when the situations that we go through do not allow it? What are the dangers of this positivity on our mental health and on the perception of ourselves and the world around us? What if we kill the joy of some to call out for a world that is more just and safer for all of us? And how do we cultivate a more collective, deeper and sustainable joy?

• Since stepping onto the scene as a writer & spoken word artist, Sarah Bekambo has been able to garner a list of achievements under her belt. By not only curating exhibitions, events and festivals but also taking the stage as a host and performer, she’s been able to make a name for herself in the cultural sector. For this talk of the JOY edition of TiNWwP, we have the honour to welcome Sarah and her bubbly energy as our moderator.

• Anissa Boujdaini is a spoken word artist, writer & cultural commentator who also guides new talent with workshops. The societal critical themes in her poetic work quickly led to speaking engagements & writing opportunities as a cultural commentator. She currently divides her time between writing & her work as an attorney in immigration & refugee law.

• Laura Nsengiyumva is a Brussels-based artivist, architect and researcher. Through her interdisciplinary practice, Nsengiyumva explores themes such as diasporic experience, hidden histories, North-South relations and empathy. She speaks about these topics through images and interventions in colonial spaces. Her artivist actions like PeoPL (the melting of a statue of Leopold II) and Queen Nikkolah, are part of her research project "Shaping the presence of the African diaspora in Belgium". Her transcultural view of history is based on human stories that invite us to find what brings us together. Nsengiyumva is affiliated as an artistic researcher to Kask, the School of Arts of HOGENT, and HoWest. She won the first prize at the Kunstsalon Ghent in 2011, and the second prize at the Dakar Biennale in 2012. She is an artist resident of Kult-XL.