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ChildrenCultureCaravan in Cologne |
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From the 29th of August up to the 4th of September 2005 two groups of the ChildrenCultureCaravan have been for guest in Cologne on invitation of the education centre Ökobildungswerke and the Institute equalita and have offered their presentations and workshops in schools, youth centres and other public places for children and young people.
Viviendo y Sonando from Columbia The 10 people music ensemble of the Cooperación Simón Bolivar presented a program, which covered a cross section of the music of young people from the Barrio Kennedy. Traditional rhythms of Colombia belong to the program as well as Cuban music, the rhythms of the Antilles and the Caribbean; and above all RAP.
The “Cooperación Educativo y Cultural Simón Bolivar” works since 1980 very successfully in the Barrio Kennedy in the north-east of the two million people town Medellin in Colombia. That quarter in which more than 45.000 humans live, is shaped by low social state and a high force rate. The “Cooperación Simón Bolivar” began 1980 with alphabetizer programmes and focused their work on violence prevention. By negotiations, youth work and cultural initiatives they succeeded in clearly reducing both the gang wars and the presence of militias in the quarter. With their program "Forget the violence” they carried out a completely protruding and exemplary work in peace education. The youth work of the Cooperación offers a multiplicity of remarkable results within the cultural range. RAP project, groups for traditional music of Colombia, theatre projects and workshops on different arts and techniques give the possibility to the young people to share their experiences, fears and hopes with peer groups. This led among other things to the fact that the young people took a very active and self-confident role in the peace process.
Alas de Colibri from Cuba In the program “Como read Alas de Colibri”, (like the wings of a Colibri), a combination of theatre and dance, the group tells about the history of the development of the Cuban identity since the conquest by Spain until today. The slavery of their ancestors is brought up for discussion, as revolting against arbitrariness and dictatorship led its own value to changes of the living conditions and attained its culture and (afro Cuban) religion.
Since the year 2000 each year several groups of young people from Africa, Asia and Latin America visit Germany and present their artistic activities in the context of the ChildrenCultureCaravan: music, dance, theatre. Street children, working kids, young people and young adults, who are homeless and hardly visited a school, do not see themselves any longer as victims or marginal group of their society.
They took their live into their hands, e.g. by playing theatres, making music or letting the traditional dances of their countries become alive in a new context. With their expression power they tell about the life in the streets, about their concerns and emergencies in the Slums, in addition about solidarity and creativity and their desire to develop perspectives for their future. They want to inform, but they also want to entertain by their cultural activities. The public performances and common workshops enable intensive meetings between German children and young people and members of the caravan. They often result in friendships and/or partnerships between German school classes and the projects of the ChildrenCultureCaravan.
The city of Cologne supports the ChildrenCultureCaravan 2005 in Cologne and promoted the project by means of local development co-operation. Also the district agencies of the city and the SK Culture Foundation contributed to the financing and underlined thereby the value of the project for the international co-operation of the city of Cologne.
More information you will find at: www.kinderkulturkarawane.de
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ChildrenCultureCaravan in Cologne 
