Theatre Play : « One way ticket » performed by 30 volunteers of all
ages and cultures !! (non-profit association Marchienne Babel)
The group draws its wealth from the difference. A feeling of belonging to a real
collective project was born ! The fact of having common goals and their drive to
succeed seem having been important for the cohesion of the group.
So that the inhabitants feel concerned, this group aims cultural projects close
to the reality as experienced by the population. It helps implement artistic and
pedagogical tools to collect the memory of the working-class in Charleroi area.
This experience leads to an active participation, supporting social integration
and is an important step to cohabitation, solidarity and knowledge of one-self
and the other.
“Culture is one of the most powerful means of insertion into society”
A theatre play intitled “One way ticket” was created for the project “Duty of
Remembrance”. It takes us into the history of immigration in Belgium after the
second world war until the sinking of the boat where 366 people died in
Lampedusa. This play was imagined from texts and testimonies coming from
about 15 countries. It is played, sung, danced by 40 amateur actors. The show
also uses numerous languages (French, English, Arabic, Lingala, Ourdou,
Russian, Italian, Walloon, etc)
Theme
Mr and Mrs Average feel assaulted by the arrival of people coming from
countries in war, people who flee misery and lack of hope.
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Anecdotes putting forward the human being allow our two protagonists to
understand why hundreds of people risk their life every day to reach “the
European Dream”. They remember emigration of Belgian people to the USA at
the end of the XIXth century and the exodus at the arrival of the German army
in 1940. Without ignoring integration problems, cohabitation and
“competition” at the salary level, the show aims to develop the idea of
“international identity” thanks to funny or moving adventures lived by
colourful characters, such as, this Rwandan taxi-driver withstanding racism with
humour, a captain of the coastguards of Lampedusa, disgusted by his work, a
Palestinian who wants to go back home and to whom the Israelian police
refuse passage, a disappointed Turkish wife, a Pakistani child taking advantage
of the situation to learn languages, German Jews, Poles fleeing nazism and
many others from Italy, Congo, Morocco, Algeria, Angola, England, Cameroun,
Spain, Mauritania,Ukraine …
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This play was preceded by a short presentation of our Comenius Regio Project :
“Schools without Borders”
After the performance, people were asked to react and they did! They said thez
were moved and personally touched by the show. The actors made them laugh
and cry but nobody remained indifferent. A part of the audience met the
numerous problems of immigration and could even identify to some of the
characters.
Through the play, Belgian people get more aware and comprehensive about
how hard it is to leave your own countrschool and at because of war,
persecution, poverty .
I insisted on the fact that education to world citizenship must start early, at
school and at home but we have to be very careful to keep on respecting the
others whatever their ethnic group, language, religion, culture and to avoid
prejudices.
The whole audience enjoyed the play and will recommend it to other people.
Children of a primary school
expressing about peace,
racism.
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