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1 BANKING, CREATIVE ACTIVISM AND THEATRE: THE HAZTE BANQUERO STORY BY JULIA RONE This article was written by Julia Rone, a Bulgarian friend who has been researching social activism in the wake of the financial crisis. She describes how the Spanish activist group, XNET, are prosecuting fraudulent bankers and politicians in the courts and in the theatre. While the legal proceedings continue, 'Become a Banker', has been seen by almost 10,000 people in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, A Coruña, Girona and Tàrrega, helping ensure that the truth is understood and remembered. (It's also available online, in a version with English subtitles.) The story is not over, but through this citizens theatre, XNET are keeping attention on the true causes of the hardship undergone by Spanish people. François Matarasso Imagine being one of the most powerful bankers of Spain. Imagine experiencing the financial crisis, witnessing millions of people going to the streets after losing their savings, their mortgages, their future. See them shouting, marching, occupying. And then imagine someone leaking to the public all your professional emails with details of lavish spending and misdeeds. Imagine a court trial and someone brave enough (artistically and politically) to make a data-based theatre play out of all this.
Transcript of the Hazte Banquero story - WordPress.comA RESTLESS ART: THE HAZTE BANQUERO STORY Version 1 –...
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BANKING,CREATIVEACTIVISMANDTHEATRE:THEHAZTEBANQUEROSTORY
BYJULIARONE
Thisarticlewaswrittenby JuliaRone,aBulgarian friendwhohasbeen researchingsocialactivisminthewakeofthefinancialcrisis.ShedescribeshowtheSpanishactivistgroup,XNET,areprosecutingfraudulentbankersandpoliticiansinthecourtsandinthetheatre.Whilethelegal proceedings continue, 'Become a Banker', has been seen by almost 10,000 peopleinBarcelona,Madrid,Valencia,ACoruña,GironaandTàrrega,helpingensurethatthetruthisunderstoodandremembered.(It'salsoavailableonline,inaversionwithEnglishsubtitles.)Thestoryisnotover,butthroughthiscitizenstheatre,XNETarekeepingattentiononthetruecausesofthehardshipundergonebySpanishpeople.
FrançoisMatarasso
Imagine being one of the most powerful bankers of Spain. Imagine experiencing the
financialcrisis,witnessingmillionsofpeoplegoingtothestreetsafterlosingtheirsavings,
theirmortgages,theirfuture.Seethemshouting,marching,occupying.Andthenimagine
someoneleakingtothepublicallyourprofessionalemailswithdetailsof lavishspending
andmisdeeds.Imagineacourttrialandsomeonebraveenough(artisticallyandpolitically)
tomakeadata-basedtheatreplayoutofallthis.
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TheplayHazteBanquero(BecomeaBanker)is‘atruestoryand,assuch,itisdramaticbut,
mostofall, it isabsurdandatrociouslycomical’,astheproducersfromX-netdescribeit.
XNET is an activist collective that deals with topics such as free culture, technopolitics,
network democracy, and citizen journalism. They have been very active ever since the
IndignadosprotestsinSpain,andthisishowIgottoknowtheirwork.ButwhenIentered
TeatreElMusicalinValenciatowatchtheirplayIhadmydoubtsaboutwhatIwasgoingto
see. Would it be one of the many naive and moralistic tales of bankers that flooded
Hollywoodscreensafter thecrisis?Would Ihave to like it justbecause I agreewith the
politicalmessage?Asasocialmovementsresearcher,I’musedtoexploringcitizenaction
onthestreetsandonsquares,onmail listsandFacebookpages–buttheatreandsocial
movements?Thecombinationmademeuncomfortable.
Andyet,fromtheveryfirstmoment,theplayengagedme,dispersedmydoubtsandfilled
theempty spacewithdata.Director SimonaLevi and theXNET team read thousandsof
leakedemailstochoosethemoststrikingonesandsetthemasdrama.Withthehelpofa
bigscreen,interactivegraphics,andseveralgreatactorsrepresentingthekeyfiguresinCaja
Madrid–allmale,ofcourse–XNETguidedusthroughacomplexschemeofcorruption,
self-enrichment,andrevolvingdoorsbetweenpoliticsandfinance.
InGreektragedy,thecharacterssufferirrationaldivinecursesandcannotescapetheirfate.
Incontrast,HazteBanquerotellsthestoryofamodern,man-madecrisisthatcouldhave
beenavoided–hadtheprotagonistsshownanymoralconstraints.Theplotissogripping
becausealltheeventsdescribedreallytookplace,although,themoredetailsemerge,the
moreunbelievableitallseems.Yes,banksupervisorsandtopemployeesofCajaMadriddid
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have ‘black’ credit cards for unlimited spending. Yes, the bank did transfer money to
‘charitable’ foundations of all political parties in Spain, including the far left. Yes, Caja
Madriddidsellfloatingratestockstothousandsofinexperiencedcustomers,makingthem
believetheywerefixed-rate.Allthisreallyhappened.Alltheatreaudienceshavetosuspend
disbelief,toacceptthe‘reality’oftheplay.WatchingHazteBanquero,youhadtosuspend
disbelieftoacceptrealityitselfasreal.
Infact,unlikemostforeigners,thegeneralpublicinSpainisfamiliarwithmanyofthefacts
aroundCajaMadridanditssuccessorBankia,presidedbyRodrigoRato.Butoneoftruth’s
weaknessesisthatit’seasilyforgotten,setasidewhilewedealwithmoreurgenteveryday
duties.HazteBanquerorevealsthetruthinthedata–andithelpspreventitfrombeing
forgotten.Theplayreenactstruthinfrontofus,makesuslaugh,feelshockedandoutraged,
andthisemotionalconnectioniswhatguaranteesthattruthwillnotbeforgottenanymore.
HazteBanquerohasadoublegoal.First,itshowswhathappened,sothatitwillnothappen
again.Thisistheawareness-raisingtask.Secondly,itseeksjusticeandexposespeoplewho
shouldassumeresponsibilityfortheiractions.Themembersoftheaudiencechangefrom
beingpassivewitnessesoftheirpersonalcrisestobeingactiveparticipantsinaquestfor
justice.Theplayfunctionsasarecordandawarningsign,aforensicanalysisandaprotest
march
Leakingdataisariskypoliticalact.Performingthatdata,turningnumbersandwordsinto
feelings,ispoliticallyandartisticallydangerous.HazteBanqueromanagestobeapowerful,
entertainingplaywithanseriousmessage.Itsucceedsbothinitsartisticandpoliticalgoals.
Butultimately,theXNETartistsdonotdistinguishbetweenthetwo.Ascitizensweneedto
actinordertopreventcorruptionandirresponsibility.ThisiswhyXNETorganizedacrowd-
fundingcampaigntofinancetheircontinuingprosecutionofbankexecutives.Ascitizens,
wetoomustact, inthesenseofperform,andreachouttoothersandmakeourcauses
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known. Theatrebecomesa formofpolitical action, away tobring togetherpeople and
inspirethemtoactontheirdestiny.
By seeing the bankers as protagonists on stage, citizens understand better the real-life
bankerswho,inafamousadcampaign,encouragedthemto“becomebankers”–andthen
defraudedthem.Strippedoftheirillusionsandarmedwithinformation,citizenscanidentify
withthebankersonstage.Strippedoftheirimpunity,once-untouchablebankersidentify
withordinarycitizensinreallife.Theyareputtotrialandtheyfacetheconsequencesof
theiractions.Thischangeofrolesisnotwelcometoanyoneinvolved.Butitisnecessary.
ThetrialandtheplayaretwofacesofoneprocessofcitizenengagementinitiatedbyXNET.
On the23rd February2017,MiguelBlesawas sentenced to six years imprisonment, and
RodrigoRatotofourandahalf,onchargesrelatedtotheblackcreditcardsscandal.They
bothappealedtotheSupremeCourtandarecurrentlynotinjailthankstotheir‘exemplary’
conductduringthetrial.Westilldon’tknowwhetherself-organizedcitizenswillmanageto
changetheendofthisplayofprivilegeandimpunityweallknowtoowell.Butwhatever
happens,thepremiseoftheplayhaschanged.Fromsecondarycharactersinoursociety,
citizenshavebecomeprotagonistsandtakencentrestage.Whocouldimaginethis?
*
JuliaRoneiscurrentlyfinishingherPhDattheDepartmentofSocialandPoliticalSciencesat
the European University Institute, Florence. Her research explores social mobilizations
againstfreetradeagreements,withafocusonframinganddiffusionofideas.Inaddition,
shestudieshacktivism,digitaldisobedience,andstrugglesindefenseofInternetFreedom.
With thanks to Simona Levi and XNET for permission to include photographs from the
production.
