CAMBIO e.V., an educational association that aims to initiate and drive social-ecological change in society, invited us this summer. Their work is motivated by a culture of togetherness and a good life for all people all over the world. Thematically, our project International Peace Slam Dresden, with the major themes of Cultural Diversity, Co-Existence, and Intercultural Curiosity, feels right at home in this environment. We enthusiastically accepted the invitation to contribute a program piece to this year’s Political Art Days with a focus on „Inclusive Territories.“
An invitation to a real-life Peace Slam in front of real-life people? Everyone was taken aback, but it was also a challenge.
Who is currently in the country? How should we organize the various topics? Is everything taken into account for corona arrangements on the ground?
It’s been almost two years since we traveled to Saxon schools and city events as a small international group. First, a small team had to be assembled. And every now and then, he who searches… discovers something special. In our case, we might be able to win a new slammer for this event. Laura’s irresistible British wit was an excellent addition to a new program. We succeeded in creating a wonderful arc of tension that took the audience to distant corners of one’s own prejudices, but also to very close people, in collaboration with Siavash from Iran, Himani from India, and Iman from Iraq. Intense self-reflection, which is always permitted to be humorous, occasionally connects more serious topics. Many people have witnessed firsthand how personal peace can be disrupted since the worldwide outbreak of the corona virus.
The audience was invited to travel to India and participate in a family story, experiencing illness, worry, and improvisation firsthand. The theme of human dignity was heavily emphasized, particularly in relation to a piece of fabric wrapped around the head of women, which causes so many irritants. The theme of our events is always political conflicts and exile friendships, and everyone in the audience finds a personal point of connection or an impulse that he or she takes home with them.
In 2019, the Peace Slam Team said farewell with its theme song „Be the Change,“ produced by the Dippoldiswalde school band „Princess on Peace.“
