Building bridges through children’s theatre
2010-06-21
Over four days in May, bibu.se – a performing arts biennial for young audiences in Lund – presented a wide selection of shows from the Nordic region and other parts of the world. Also on the program were seminars, workshops and happenings that generated fresh meetings and discussions.
More than forty of the international guests at the event either were or had previously been involved in projects or exchanges supported by the Swedish Institute. Swedish ASSITEJ – a platform for all involved in the performing arts scene for children and young people in Sweden – presented a series of seminars entitled Building Bridges–Crossing Borders. The series focused on Rwanda, Turkey and Kosovo, where partnerships have been established under the SI’s Creative Force program.
Why international exchange? Who benefits from it? What might be improved? These were some of the questions discussed by the participants. Speakers noted the vital importance of equal sharing – the notion that we all have something to learn from each other. Others emphasised the need for people to have access to new working methods while ensuring that all exchanges to this end are on equal terms. It was also important to consider from the outset that partnerships must be designed to have a clear and lasting impact, otherwise they may cause severe disappointment.
There appeared to be widespread interest in international exchanges and partnerships as a means of learning from each other in the field of children’s culture, and people had gained much from such collaboration in the past. During bibu.se, the Swedish National Touring Theatre (Riksteatern) presented African Cinderella, a unique collaboration with the National Theatre of Ghana. SI has supported the development of this production and also a wide-ranging tour of Ghana.