This is not a Satire

This is our government on the arts

You read this article in Newsroom while you’re in the middle of a novel (Prophet Song by Paul Lynch, winner of 2023 Booker Prize) . The book is set in contemporary Ireland and borrows directly from real life events (both in Ireland and other countries, such as Egypt and Syria) re silencing those who speak against the government.

One minute things are New Zealand-normal and then one of your poems upsets a few of the players who will soon form the new 'government' ( you are using that term for the current coalition very loosely here, what you mean is regime-in-the- making). Your poem is about our history: invasion, massacre and wholesale land theft.

Colonisation.

You write a poem and your life starts changing - a little at a time. The threats and bullying start a year ago - online from the faceless; threatening emails from white supremacists. The politicians use the media.

The politicians have deep pockets and wealthy backers. They use some of the words from of one of your poems to stir up their voting base. They’re playing to a spell-bound, packed house.

Today, when you finish Prophet Song, you spend the afternoon researching what the author used as raw material. The civilians who protested in totalitarian regimes and what became of them. The politicians who suppressed freedom of expression and what lengths they went to.

This is how it starts, you think. Little by little, and then one day, BOOM, freedom of expression - which is the arts - gone.

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People seem confused whether Steve Braunias’ Newsroom interview of Todd Stephenson, ACT’s spokesperson for the Arts, is satire.

It is not satire.

In December, it was announced that you are to be awarded the Prime Minister’s award for Literature (Poetry). This award recognises your 23 year career as a poet - arguably one of the lowest paid professions around - particularly in comparison to, say, Todd Stephenson. Braunias points out Stephenson gets the “basic MP salary, paid for by the taxpayer, of $163,000, in return for a paltry 2807 votes in the Southland electorates”.

You hear on the radio, MP’s salaries are soon to increase.

In your two decades long career, you have represented New Zealand around the world: England, Scotland, Columbia, Germany, Indonesia, Morocco, Netherlands, Belgium, USA. Your work is taught in schools and universities. You have published 10 books: poetry and children’s fiction; numerous articles and creative essays. You have two award winning plays, a short film (and another in production) and a radio documentary. You have performed and taught poetry in scores of schools, prisons, community groups and tertiary institutions. You’ve mentored young people and developing writers.

There was no trace of satire in his press release when Todd Stevenson threatened Creative New Zealand’s funding - of other artists - for awarding the PM Award to you.

“With a new Government looking to make spending cuts at low-value departments, Creative NZ is tempting fate”.

Low value.

While he’s at it, he calls you a ‘notorious racist’.

Notorious racist.

Despite the Prime Minister’s Award and a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Poetry and the Arts (and a few other things under your belt), Stephenson is no fan of yours; neither is the Minister of Arts, Paul Goldsmith (he’s trash talked you too). You know Stephenson has not read your body of work nor seen either of your theatre shows. You know he hasn’t seen any New Zealand theatre at all and has read only one New Zealand piece of literature: Once were Warriors (this worries you). You know all this because he says so.

This is not a satire.

In Aotearoa, we tend to think freedom of artistic expression can only be restricted in countries far away from here. Countries ruled by totalitarian regimes. A government doesn’t need to torture or imprison artists to keep them quiet. If this coalition removes funding from the arts (you are watching them reduce funding all around Aotearoa) then, that is a major step towards silencing the arts. Particularly the arts that criticise our current Regime, *cough* you mean, ‘Government’.