Subject
oral history, artists, South Asian, Desh Pardesh, United States, activism
Description
Leah Lakshimi, in this oral history, recounts her experience coming to the arts scene in Toronto, where she felt included and respected as a South Asian artist. This was distinct from her experience in the United States and other areas of Canada, were she felt alienated. She discusses her experience with organizing activist groups with other people of colour, and their simultaneous exclusion from white activist spaces. She also talks about the international influence of Desh Pardesh, that brought South Asian culture to the world’s attention, and began the system of cultural appropriation which continues today.