Voices of imagination: the artist as prophet in the process of social change
Academic Article
Overview
Research
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
In this article we contend that vision, imagination and a passion for justice are in short supply in our schools and society, and we advocate the importance of creating space for the voices of artists to emerge. The preponderance of materials and programmes that emphasize the technical rationality of our work as educators continues to stifle and silence the voices of imagination. If schooling is simply technical, it has reached the end of its usefulness and is incapable of contributing to the social, spiritual and ecological problems of our communities. We are not resigned to the end of education. Rather, we believe that empowering the voices of imagination through the arts will contribute to a renewal of the metaphysical dimension of our work. We advocate such a posture. As we encourage the young to make the arts a natural means of expression we also encourage the development of the prophetic voice. And it is this voice that most certainly can attend to the pressing problems of our postmodern world.
