A series of lectures, meetings, workshops and artistic actions focused on the subject of discrimination, fears, stereotypes and values resulting from meeting the Other –someone of a different nationality, race, culture, religion. We will try to talk and ask questions: What do we not know? What and why are we afraid of? How to react? How to help? How to learn and tame what is foreign, threatening and odd? And why the Others are afraid of us. Referring to the concept of "hostipility" [portmanteau: hostility + hospitability] formulated by Jaques Derrida, we want to discuss the difference between the enemy and the guest, the relationship between the guest and the host, ask about the conditions of hospitality and its limits, as well as about the situation of "being a guest" in culturally alien spaces.
The subject of meeting the Other (someone from a different culture, a different religion, professing a different system of values) has been one of the most important issues that we deal with as a Theatre Centre for many years. It has been the conceptual basis for many of our projects, including the Festival "Spoiwakultury" [Bonds of culture], which has been held for several years, and have hosted artists from several dozens of countries from all over the world.
At the same time, we have repeatedly tried to pay attention to the problems and fate of people who, for political, social and economic reasons, are excluded, abused, forced to leave their homes, deprived of their own culture, tradition and language. Also those whose lives are threatened by wars, conflicts, regimes, disasters. During events implemented by us, we organized or gave space for the organization of fundraising events, among others: Buddhist monks who escaped from Tibet, victims of the earthquake in Japan, Kyiv residents demonstrating at Maidan, refugees from Chechnya, civilian victims of the war in Syria. We tried to talk about cultures and nations that are struggling for their identity: Yakuts, Evenks, Tuareg people, Chechens, Romani people, Armenians, Kurds. We invited artists who spoke in a very defined way on difficult and inconvenient topics. The slogan "GOŚĆ/INNOŚĆ" [which may be loosely translated as "THE OTHERS AS A GUEST"] appeared for the first time in the context of the Festival and the long-term activities of the Centretwo years ago.
Thanks to these experiences, we realized that the processes, which we all are subject to are complicated and that it is so difficult to reach an agreement when the fear, sense of threat, frustration and resulting aggression prevail. Learning sometimes dramatic biographies of particular people whose lives were broken by situations as extreme as war, we began to understand even deeper that human empathy and solidarity – seeing the Other as just another human being rather than an alien – can change / save someone's life.
Obviously, we solidarize with all people who have been forced to flee their homes. It is also obvious that we are aware of the size of problems caused by such a massive influx of refugees to Europe. We are obviously worried about the type of emotions we discover in all of us nowadays and about the language we express these emotions.
That is why we consider it our duty to support actions that undertake specific tangible support of people who need help – both here, in Europe, as well as in places where armed conflicts take place. Therefore, we also feel that in the current situation a deep, open to various views dialogue is needed, which is to be primarily an attempt to listen to each other, to understand another person, to communicate without violence. And it will only be possible if we create a common, neutral, safe meeting space.
Inviting you to the next editions of the HOSTIPITALITY project, we invite you to continue the conversation that we have started a long time ago, and which is now – in our opinion – particularly needed.
First of all, we want to try to understand what is happening in and around us, what are the causes and consequences of the processes that take place, how to look for joint and systemic solutions that will not lead to escalation of tensions. How to stop building new walls while keeping a sense of security.
A series of lectures, meetings, workshops and artistic actions focused on the subject of discrimination, fears, stereotypes and values resulting from meeting the Other –someone of a different nationality, race, culture, religion. We will try to talk and ask questions: What do we not know? What and why are we afraid of? How to react? How to help? How to learn and tame what is foreign, threatening and odd? And why the Others are afraid of us. Referring to the concept of "hostipility" [portmanteau: hostility + hospitability] formulated by Jaques Derrida, we want to discuss the difference between the enemy and the guest, the relationship between the guest and the host, ask about the conditions of hospitality and its limits, as well as about the situation of "being a guest" in culturally alien spaces.
The subject of meeting the Other (someone from a different culture, a different religion, professing a different system of values) has been one of the most important issues that we deal with as a Theatre Centre for many years. It has been the conceptual basis for many of our projects, including the Festival "Spoiwakultury" [Bonds of culture], which has been held for several years, and have hosted artists from several dozens of countries from all over the world.
At the same time, we have repeatedly tried to pay attention to the problems and fate of people who, for political, social and economic reasons, are excluded, abused, forced to leave their homes, deprived of their own culture, tradition and language. Also those whose lives are threatened by wars, conflicts, regimes, disasters. During events implemented by us, we organized or gave space for the organization of fundraising events, among others: Buddhist monks who escaped from Tibet, victims of the earthquake in Japan, Kyiv residents demonstrating at Maidan, refugees from Chechnya, civilian victims of the war in Syria. We tried to talk about cultures and nations that are struggling for their identity: Yakuts, Evenks, Tuareg people, Chechens, Romani people, Armenians, Kurds. We invited artists who spoke in a very defined way on difficult and inconvenient topics. The slogan "GOŚĆ/INNOŚĆ" [which may be loosely translated as "THE OTHERS AS A GUEST"] appeared for the first time in the context of the Festival and the long-term activities of the Centretwo years ago.
Thanks to these experiences, we realized that the processes, which we all are subject to are complicated and that it is so difficult to reach an agreement when the fear, sense of threat, frustration and resulting aggression prevail. Learning sometimes dramatic biographies of particular people whose lives were broken by situations as extreme as war, we began to understand even deeper that human empathy and solidarity – seeing the Other as just another human being rather than an alien – can change / save someone's life.
Obviously, we solidarize with all people who have been forced to flee their homes. It is also obvious that we are aware of the size of problems caused by such a massive influx of refugees to Europe. We are obviously worried about the type of emotions we discover in all of us nowadays and about the language we express these emotions.
That is why we consider it our duty to support actions that undertake specific tangible support of people who need help – both here, in Europe, as well as in places where armed conflicts take place. Therefore, we also feel that in the current situation a deep, open to various views dialogue is needed, which is to be primarily an attempt to listen to each other, to understand another person, to communicate without violence. And it will only be possible if we create a common, neutral, safe meeting space.
Inviting you to the next editions of the HOSTIPITALITY project, we invite you to continue the conversation that we have started a long time ago, and which is now – in our opinion – particularly needed.
First of all, we want to try to understand what is happening in and around us, what are the causes and consequences of the processes that take place, how to look for joint and systemic solutions that will not lead to escalation of tensions. How to stop building new walls while keeping a sense of security.