Within the framework of the European project ID: Babylon we went to Ostrava (Czech Republic) to perform our play Won’t Curdle With Us at The National Moravian-Silesian Theatre (Národní divadlo moravskoslezské v Ostravě). We were hosted by the Ateliér pro děti a mládež při NDM organization.
The institution came into being in September 2012 but they started working continuously in September 2015. Since then they have created several performances, one to mention is the collage Hamlet Is Not Dead, created by a group of 12 students from 11 to 15 years old. For them, a highlight of the project was in September 2018, when they became a part of the theatre repertory and performed the play Punk Rock by British author Simon Stephens three times for schools.
Beside Ateliér pro děti a mládež the NDM includes two more studios for youngsters’ ballet and opera. The ballet studio has a long tradition in theatre, as it was founded in 1979. Many outstanding dancers and educators have worked there during its existence. The studio concept is based on complex movement and dance development. Teachers mainly focus on classical dance, folk dance, improvisation and gymnastics. The opera studio was founded in 1994. During the existence of the studio, their students performed in a number of operas, operettas, ballet musicals and dramas. They also work on individual projects.
The trip to Ostrava was a great learning experience. Young people from both countries shared their knowledge and quality time together. After an in-depth discussion about our show, we were invited to watch a rehearsal of their operatic play, which was a stellar piece of work. We were thrilled by the quality of their production, and their devotion to their work with young artists. We were delighted to be part of this fulfilling project.
XII Rapassage Fest Ub (Serbia)
Besides the trip in Ostrava, we were invited to perform our play Won’t Curdle With Us at the XII Rapassage fest Ub (Serbia), which hosts the best amateur shows in the former Yugoslavia. We were proud to be invited, especially because the festival it is not only for young people but for the best amateur plays in the country. We won two awards: Nejka Berce Čeligoj – Award for Best Female Lead and Borut Petrović – Diploma for Actor of the Day.
Festival of Young Culture Vizije
In Slovenia, we were chosen to be part of the Festival of Young Culture Vizije. The festival includes around ten of the best Slovenian youth theatre productions. Jakob Šfiligoj and Borut Petrović, who both play main roles, won a Visionary award for the best actors.
Living the ID:Babylon experience was continuously surprising to me, I had lots of fun along the journey. Since coincidentally my roots are connected with the historical city of Babel and I have a passion to keep its cultural and traditional torch burning, my sister and I were able to put a piece of our identity into the play (our language, dances, music etc.) and in a way, my identity was also being reshaped and added-on. I have learnt a lot from the other participants from all over Europe and we lived special moments that are now a part of us. However, the moment that struck me the most and would most-likely resonate with me the longest was not one of those.
Omid performing in the show.
We toured the show we made to Poland. After the performance, we had a post-show talk with the audience (school students and their teachers). We sat down. The lights changed. I could see their faces now and from deep within me an emotion started rising. A familiar one and yet I was not able to recognize it in that moment. Silence and teenage awkwardness took over the place for a bit. So I took the initiative and the first words that came out of my mouth were “sooo… are there any questions?” I glanced over to see if anyone raised their hand, and it was then I was able to see that some of them were avoiding eye-contact purposefully. I crossed my arms and legs and that emotion I couldn’t place was getting stronger. My whole body closed up on itself. A hand went in the air and a young man asked “where do you originally come from?” To be honest, that is a very reasonable question – my mother-tongue Aramaic does not have a lot of resemblance to German or English. I felt an irrational fear that I might say something wrong, even though there is nothing wrong to say in answer to that question. I answered anyway and afterwards the talk went smoothly.
I’ve read about the political situation regarding refugees in Poland before but I did not give it much thought before we went there because I can’t do anything about it. I’m saying this because the conversation felt weighed down by that subject matter and when it started, the context hit me all of the sudden. The emotion that I was having was the same that I had when I was a 15 year old boy in Syria during the revolution. It was one of being in the opposition and always having my guard up, I didn’t want for anyone to know my thoughts because it might have a negative impact on my family and me. The resemblance was shocking. The same thoughts in my head, the same looks from people around me that knew about it and the same walls that I’d surrounded myself with inside so that no one sees me. Once I realised this I was able to get over that fear and everything was back to normal… A girl asked us to sing something and we did, and few of them even sang with us because they knew that song.
The German group on stage.
This experience wasn’t particularly good or bad but very interesting for me nonetheless. It speaks volumes about today’s society. Just to avoid misunderstandings what I’m referring to in this report is not the current political or sociological state in Poland but only my own experiences. I’m not in any way, shape or form able to comment on the political situation in Poland, and / or trying to give a bad impression of Polish people. In fact, the next day I was with the same young people in a workshop, and they were very competent and most importantly, very nice. We worked together and learned a lot from each other, and this for me is the beauty of ID: Babylon.
(Omid, 22 years, one of the young participants of ID:Babylon from Germany, written in September 2019)
Glej Theatre from Slovenia ended its summer on the road in the Balkans. Our ID: Babylon local production Café Europe was invited to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A wonderful city, once famous for its multiculturalism that was later torn apart by civil war in beginning of the nineties, seemed a perfect setting for a play that addresses current situation of division in European Union.
From Café Europe performance in Mostar.
We were invited to show our work at UWCiM (United World College in Mostar). It was established in 2006 with a mission to contribute to the reconstruction of post-conflict society and maintaining peace in a country. The college is implementing recognizable model of post-conflict education, practically demonstrating a convincing, fully integrated curriculum. Their arts courses focuses on visual and theatre programme.
Slovenian ID: Babylon is rehearsing its performance in Bosnia.
Café Europe is a symbolic site of European Union, contemporary Babel in which identities live together in different contexts: some with the other, some pass by the other, and some fight against each other. Café Europe gives a voice to the generation that was robbed of it. It is a brutal confrontation with existential and social questions of national and European identity, social norms and structural place of young people in our societies. We were interested to see, how the audience in Mostar will react to the play addressing contemporary youth issues that are felt across the continent, despite perhaps taking different shapes and offering different answers.
We felt honoured that performance was sold out, so we played another one on the site. We are coming away from the trip full of impressions and open questions regarding the European identity, future of Europe, providing lasting peace and not encouraging politics of hate, and the role of youth in these processes that we shared with our friends in Mostar.
Glej technical and mentor support to the young artists on the tour.
My name is Yaya Mahamat Ahmat, I am 17 years old. I come from Central Africa. I attended the Koranic school from 6 years old until 12 years old in Bangui. After the war in Central Africa in 2013, during which my father died, I left the country. With my family – my mother and my brothers – we follow the road that goes to Cameroon, then to Chad with other migrants.
I stayed in Chad just over 4 years. I studied in a middle school as a refugee in which we had language courses in English, French and Arabic. I also did theatre with other students on Saturday mornings.
One day, we flew to Addis Ababa and then to France. It was the only country that accepted us, following our requests. We arrived at Charles-de-Gaulle airport, and we headed to Pessat-Villeneuve where a house was waiting for us.
We settled there for 5 months. I went to Roger-Claustres high school from September 2018 to June 2019. The French school felt safe and I had no great difficulty with any of my classes. My integration with the other students went well and I made friends – I met people from outside my classes through football, table football.
I had a good command of the French language. Nathalie Bernard, the head teacher, followed my progress throughout this year and it was her who suggested I should meet Jean-Claude Gal, the artistic director of Théâtre du Pélican, when he came in to talk about ID: Babylon.
I had done some theatre elsewhere, and I really wanted to do it again here. I immediately responded to the call out to be part of the project. I just thought of theatre as a fun activity from my past experiences. But ID: Babylon felt like a rich discovery. the theme felt very important: youth and migration. It corresponded to my past. It was also an opportunity to do something with other students.
(c) Régis Nardoux
I met others young people who weren’t at my school and also discovered many new words. Group situations were important. I learned to work according to schedules, often repeating the same sections of the text, which was sometimes frustrating for me. But as I went on I understood the importance of working at the right pace for everyone; Despite my initial impatience, it gave me rigor and respect towards the other 8 members of the group.
The ID: Babylon Festival was yet another discovery: a mixture of languages, texts and ways of doing theatre. Meeting up with the young people from 5 other countries and theatre groups, taking joint workshops and talking with them was incredible, especially after only a few months in France. I had contacts and discussions with many other young Europeans.
The workshops were moments of pleasant complicity. A time when everyone was involved and there was no difference between us. Depending on whether they were migrants or not, it was different. Some of the other young people spoke Arabic so we were able to communicate in that language. We talked about our background and our way of seeing the host countries. We all sang together. It was touching and created incredible moments.
(c) Régis Nardoux
I recently moved with my family and I now live in an apartment in a popular district of the City of Clermont-Ferrand. I managed to get a place at a high school in the area. I am very happy even though I know that it will be more difficult because I will follow a mainstream course.
I will continue this year at Théâtre du Pélican, and attend theatrical practice workshops. I will perform in a new show next year which will be another new experience. The team at Théâtre du Pélican are supportive there to listen to me. I regularly go to the office to work or ask for advice. It’s a new place for me. I am confident in the future and I will work to succeed.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.Project certified by the City of Clermont-Ferrand “European Capital of Culture”
ID: Babylon Festival, Clermont-Ferrand: 4 – 6 April 2019
We were privileged to have Ulrich join us for the whole festival in France earlier this year. He wrote a shorter piece on the festival that ran in German press but also gave us his perspective on the full festival which we wanted to share with you. Here’s his account.
4 April, 2019
“Das junge Kleinod”
has arrived, and it’s definitely France. “Bonne journée, Madame. Merci,
monsieur.” The ladies are wearing their sunglasses in their hair at temperatures
just above freezing, filled baguettes are waiting in the window. The tables are
already set in front of the bistros: Plat du jour in coat and scarf. Bustling
life in Clermont-Ferrand, narrow alleys and wide squares, small shops and
modern shopping arcades. The black cathedral dominates the city, a soldier
patrols with a machine gun in the crook of its arm, snow-capped volcanic peaks
can be seen in the background. Pigeons, quails and foie gras are on offer in
the market hall, the fish counter in the supermarket is fantastic.
The first event
sees us gather in the late afternoon at a reception in town hall as we walk
there we discover that zebra crossings are not necessarily safe and red
pedestrian lights, more like recommendations. The strains of the journey are
still in the bones of all participants of the European theatre project
“ID: Babylon”, but the elegant reception hall in the town hall knows
how to impress with stucco, busts and chandeliers. Madame Isabelle Lavest, who
is coordinating Clermont-Ferrand’s application for the European Capital of
Culture 2028, welcomes the guests from Slovenia and Italy, England, Germany and
France. Jean-Claude Gal, director of the Théatre du Pélican, is particularly
pleased to host the weekends festival, which marks the first large international
gathering of the project.
5 April 2019
The next day is
dedicated to theatre, after rehearsals in the morning the first three
performances follow in the afternoon. Just before 2pm the nerves of the young
performers are palpable. For the German young people at least, performing in a
modern and well attended theatre with over 200 seats is not commonplace. The performances
start with Jean-Claude Gal’s production Paths of Rain, a dialogue by and
with young migrants. Eight young actors and two professionals try to break out
of isolation and emphasise the commonality of their stories: performed in French
with English subtitles and touching moments. The Slovenian group from Nova
Gorica, on the other hand, uses the means of comedy to reflect the bizarre fear
of Muslims, which does not yet exist in the country. In Won’t Curdle With Us,
elements of tabloid hysteria and farce are performed by very professional
actors to a very enthusiastic audience.
Between the two performances, which have been prepared over a long period of time, stands the play by the young German group, It was/n’t, which was created in two workshops and has found its place in this theatre hall. The ensemble – Omid Daoud, Oria Daoud, Viyana Dimen, Vincent Lenkeit and Jule Viebrock – are in top form. The audience reacts positively from the very beginning, the mixture between rather entertaining and thought-provoking elements fits perfectly. Juliane Lenssen’s production remains close to the themes of the project with the story of the Tower of Babel and quotations from interviews with young people. It’s told with a variety of theatre techniques and if there were grades, it would be a smooth “one” here – the highest grade in the German school system.
The German play is described as “very cool. Very funny and very touching” afterwards during the rather formal group discussion. With the restrictions of the microphones and the ordered translators, what had long since begun unofficially and casually among the young people outside in the courtyard seems somewhat stiff. French and Italian, Slovenian and German, English and Arabic – for the young people the change between the languages is no problem at all. One could quote from the German performance “to all parents: trust your children, trust in us and always say: you can do it”.
6 April, 2019
The next morning, a thematically guided tour of the city is on the programme. In the afternoon, the day of the “European flag” continues with a well-organised “Café Citoyen”, which is also interesting for the young people, and a live broadcast on two radio stations, which is part of the application for the European Capital of Culture. In between a workshop with actress Jessy Khalil – the German young people take part always and everywhere in all the activities.
The evening
brings the rest of the performances: The Glej Theatre from Ljubljana is leaving
migration and growing nationalism out of the equation in its Café Europe
and is reflecting on the young people in the group’s wishes and sensitivities
with both absurdity and emotion. Without words, but with good ideas and
multimedia, the young Italian group of delleAli teatro, explore the subject of
flight with lo qui, while the British group from the Albany focus
entirely on its text. The London Show shows in concentrated reduction
what black skin means in the British capital. The strongest effect is produced
by the empty chair of a missing actor in the spotlight: “You can take away
our freedom, but not our voice”, Tendayi
Mutongerwa, who couldn’t travel to France due to visa problems, is heard as
a recorded voice.
Things wrap up
with a lot of respect and applause, a lively exchange and of course a party:
“It’s nice to hear people talking about the same thing from different
perspectives”, says Englishman Peter Johnson and this view has the full
approval of the audience. Thanks to the organisers, “ID: Babylon” is
definitely a success. In Clermont-Ferrand, young people from five countries are
moving closer together without any reservations.
Tayo is one of the UK project participants and she wrote this blog about her experience at the ID: Babylon Festival in France earlier this year.
ID: Babylon is a European collaboration with 5 European
partners – France, Germany, Slovenia, Italy and the UK. From each country young
artists and performers were chosen to create a performance in response to their
own meaning of Babylon and how that expresses what being European means to
them. Our piece, named after the project, explored belonging and what it means
to be British while Black and was performed in France, London and Amsterdam.
ID: Babylon for me was more than an experience to travel and
perform. I gained so much more than I imagined. The process of preparing to perform
our piece was really insightful for me. I was able to work with other young,
talented writers to talk about something really important – race. With guidance
from rapper and spoken word artist Potent Whisper, we learnt about the
structure of spoken word and rhyming. As a group we were given the freedom to
explore our British and European identity and we began to explore the theme of
racism, injustice and borders.
As a British Nigerian,
these topics are not entirely new to me but I had never written and performed
about them. It felt so daring and provocative. Each week I felt nervous about
my own words, unsure about how audiences will receive it. But unlike other
projects and performances, it began to feel bigger than me. Our words were
important, our experiences and feelings were valid and deserved to have a
voice. I was able to honour my family and culture while also critiquing the
injustice and racist systems in this country. It felt empowering to speak my
truth. I can admit that there was a part of me that was still nervous, but
another part of me felt proud. I wasn’t relying on the audience for feedback or
approval, I was expressing myself as an artist and it felt brilliant.
What was also amazing and unexpected was the response from
audiences. When we performed for the first time in France I had no idea how it
was going to be received. But it was so fascinating to speak to people as they
were so interested in the topic and how we had created it. It garnered such an
emotional reaction that led to some great conversations about what we had been
through and why it meant a lot to us to share.
Having the opportunity to leave your country is a huge
privilege in the right circumstances. Being able to explore more of the world
and connecting with other young people was amazing. It was so inspiring to see
them perform and see the many different and creative ways Babylon was defined
and showcased. It was apparent to see that there were so many similar themes to
do with identity, culture and migration in many of the performances from these
groups. It definitely showed that many of us have had similar experiences
despite being from different nations and cultures.
Projects like ID Babylon are extremely important as they highlight the importance of the arts as a tool that connects and allows us to express our opinions and feelings about the world. I’m very honoured to have been granted this opportunity by the Albany as I have grown as a writer and performer. Most of all I gained more confidence in expressing many ideas and topics that relate to who I am as a British Nigerian woman.
