Description
The aim of the project is to dismantle the xenophobic attitude and stereotypical perception of Roma and groups of foreigners which are spread between the Czech pupils. These groups will get the opportunity to express their situation through theatre performances, categorize forms of their oppression and with the help of theatre techniques discuss these issues in schools. The project will transmit a closer insight into how these groups feel in the Czech society, what do they think about each other and will motivate both sides to think about how the current situation can be changed.
Summary of project results
The main goal of the project was to open a dialogue between the majority and minorities, which would lead to the reflection on living together, on understanding the problems of minorities in the Czech Republic and on possible ways to change their situation. Our experience, when we talk to school teachers, as well as several studies imply that prejudice against minorities, xenophobic and racist attitudes and gender stereotypes have, for a long time, been a problem in the Czech society. This includes also the young generation. The research shows, however, that this is not a problem of one particular group, but of the Czech society in general and its difficulties in coping with otherness and differences. In cooperation with representatives of minorities (in our case the Roma and the Vietnamese community) we have prepared participatory theatrical performances based on methods of the theatre of the oppressed (TO), and thus helped create a space for such a dialogue. A total of three groups of (non)actors from Prague, Písek and Ostrava had been meeting to create stories based on their personal experience, which would be later presented to the public in the form of Forum theatre at the international festival of the TO Divufest 2015 (November 2015 in Prague). Moreover, all these theatre pieces were also performed in Czech schools, under the guidance of expert tutors. The comments of pupils and their experiences were reflected on and thus issues of coexistence, respect and tolerance were successfully opened up for discussion. By the end of the project a brochure with selected basic texts on the method of the TO was published and distributed to all those interested in the theatrical approach to social change. The publication contains the texts of the world's leading representatives of the theatre of the oppressed and this is the first time that these texts were published in the Czech translation.
Summary of bilateral results