The multiactive Art Group Fabrica Athens and the German organization “Mostar Friendensproject e.V.”, carried out the Youth Exchange Program – Make Art, Not Walls.
Dimitra Mazi, responsible for the Greek mission of the program, presents the history and experience of Make Art, Not Walls.
The story of this program begins in August 2018 in the Youth Exchange Program “A Race For Tolerance” co-organized by the multiactive Art Group Fabrica Athens and the German Organization “Mostar Friendensproject e.V.”. It was there that we first met Benjiamin Bender and Alina Nogai, members of the Mostar organization. At our next meeting after a few months in a training course, our idea for the Make Art, Not Walls program sprang up. In the months that followed we organized our thoughts and ideas and wrote the above program.
The program was approved in April 2019 and we entered the final stretch for its implementation. There were several difficulties: three people were in different countries, having other daily lives and there were not a few days that our nights were spent on our computer screens. Then the will and joy to create the program overcame any difficulty. So, in August 2019, a year after our first acquaintance, we found ourselves in a circle with 37 people from 7 different countries!
“There is a world out there that we have not yet explored. It’s awesome what you can teach others. It’s scary what you can learn from others. “It’s unbelievable what you can achieve by coming out of your bowl.”
Ioanna Arapi, participant in Make Art, Not Walls
The European Youth Exchange Program took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the city of Kljuc from 7 to 16 August 2019 with the support of Erasmus +. The participating countries were Greece, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Ukraine, Portugal and Moldova. The theme of the program revolved around the question:
How can a small step encourage a group of young people to make their own move and express in their own way and in their own voice the world they want?
Within ten days people from 7 different countries who did not know, with different experiences and stimuli came in contact to create a reality that they want and to condemn racist behaviors and unfavorable conditions that we experience every day. Through the use of theatrical techniques, creative activities, as well as discussions, a protected and group environment was created by all of us, where the participants were able to express themselves freely and creatively. The program ended with a street theater performance and a photo exhibition by the children themselves who participated. Through them they had the opportunity to communicate their experience, the issues they faced and those that concern them.
“An invaluable experience with a lot of knowledge, connection with wonderful people, a wonderful and unforgettable trip”
Evi Mitraka, participant in the Make Art, Not Walls program
Fabrica Athens uses the theater and theatrical methods it has developed as an educational, social, and humanitarian tool.
- The theater contributed to the acquaintance and sharing of their experiences between the participants. The actions and friction required by the theatrical process, led to a practical mental and spiritual opening of each participant.
- Forum embodied theater and theater techniques created an atmosphere of internal and group concentration and took on the role of catalyst to create an unbroken bond between team members.
- The process of the exhibition gave the participants the opportunity to “crumple” in the protected environment of the group, resulting in “softening” as people and to open their minds.
Throughout the program, participants came in contact with the question of whether or not the events and situations we experience are the same even though we are in different parts of the map.
“An unprecedented experience that dynamically takes you out of your shot and from the things you knew until now, as a result of which you come into essential contact with other people, with yourself and with the creation of the theater.”
Maria Koufomanoli, participant in Make Art, Not Walls
Greece was represented by the Fabrica Athens Organization. The participants of the Greek delegation, who were in the European project were Nikos Chortarias, Maria Koufomanoli, Evi Mitraka, Ioanna Arapi and Fotini Stamou. The program was for the participants of the Greek mission a special trip to 7 European countries at the same time. Despite the differences:
- They discovered the common points with the other cultures and the characteristics that unite them
- They found ways to communicate and express the world in which they want to live
- They managed to live together, catalyzing any apparent differences that may exist, because the essence is that we are all human and let us get used to forget it.
“For me it was an unprecedented experience that helped me better understand some of my characteristics, brought me in contact with interesting people. I would definitely do it again “
Fotini Stamou, participant in Make Art, Not Walls
I would like to thank the multiactive art group Fabrica Athens, in which I have been apprenticing for the last few years, for the opportunity it gave me to be a creator and to experience this unique experience. In addition, I would like to thank my teacher Fanis Katechos for what he has taught me and is teaching me both in the art of theater and in life. Finally, I thank the participants of the Greek delegation, the German Organization “Mostar Friendensproject” and of course my friends and collaborators Alina Nogai and Benjiamin Bender who were a source of inspiration and together we managed to make an idea a reality and a life experience.
“Reaching the greatest depth of people, and the greatest peak of camaraderie – that’s what I learned from this project”
Nikos Chortarias, participant in Make Art, Not Walls
