KRAGUJevac

Seminar

Kragujevac, June 22-24

Research: What others have brought to Kragujevac
Summer actions: Turn invisible into visible, Umbrella, Dancing in the rain – performances in theTown Park

Research & Actions

During summer months, the High School space known as Sopče was a gathering place of the participants of the project Luggage for the Future. During July, Sopče was being filled with various objects, necessary for the project: suitcases, umbrellas, watering cans, and useful things from travellers' pockets, brought by friends, neighbours, project participants, creating their future street activities.

Permits for the August public activities were ensured as well as support of the small entrepreneurs – presents for the citizens who brought the most interesting material. Slogans were written, announcements prepared as well as the ideas as their suggestions for the caravan. During preparations Kragujevac group has been working actively on the project PR and preparing local public for incoming project activities. Appearances on TV Kragujevac, TV Channel 9 and Radio Kragujevac reached at least 500 persons.

The number of participants of the July activities: 9 – 15.

On August, the group created a street performance And not Like Rain Around Kragujevac. Info booths were put on frequent locations, original music was composed, posters and fliers created, best messages, best objects and best associates in Kragujevac were awarded. The group members at booths animated citizens, asking them to write downs their thoughts and observations, to bring various objects and send messages.

A special element was Dance in the Rain – a dance with umbrellas, watering cans – meticulously created choreography. The activity in the town was carried out seven times – in late afternoon and evening hours. This is how participant by themselves felt about the Action: We want to show that we believe in the future and that we have strength to build it. How to show energy? We'll dance! But, I can't dance... It doesn't matter; it won't be a demanding choreography. It's important to show emotion... And thus the idea for dance in the rain was born.

We work together, each of us giving his or her contribution – conceiving partings, reunions, meetings of old friends, rehearsing short choreography. And everything is related to the initial idea – it rains in Kragujevac as well, and a lot of beautiful things happen here. And so we take umbrellas. We prepare our Kragujevac guidebooks (drawing in it the places we like so that we could show them to our quests), postcards, stamps and small umbrellas to pack them in our Luggage.

The activities were attended by a large (minimum 600) number of citizens and covered by the media: regular radio and TV appearances of the project participants.

Kragujevac got the final version of its performance with the participation of domicile population and newcomers, refugees and locals, "And not like rain around Kragujevac" the last stamps were made, small and big umbrellas were obtained, costumes for Sandwich Men...

Intercultural Caravan

The Caravan first stopped in Kragujevac, where the participants stayed longest – for two days, since they had preparation seminar for the joint tour. On the first evening, the participants went through intensive group integration workshops, and the next day, in Great Hall of the First Kragujevac High School they rehearsed their individual presentations - mini performances that they had prepared in groups in the previous phases and which were the sublimation of everything they had researched and done. After that, they jointly prepared and rehearsed their joint street performance, which was called same in each town – Wake up Call to the Town.

Wake up Call to the Town is a street walk and happening, during which the participants carried out a joint performance that focused attention on messages of the project, carrying several banners (We are those children, Who, where and what are we?..), as well as a big banner with the name of the project and the logo of the European Commission. Furthermore, within the happening, the participants from all the towns gave presents, authentic and unusual souvenirs from their towns (visas from Vranje, painted pebbles from Bela Crkva, bookmarkers from Dimitrovgrad, small umbrellas from Kragujevac, "buchure" from Subotica).

The first Wake up Call was carried out on main and most frequent streets of Kragujevac, with active participation of citizens, interested in presents, asking what was going on... After the Wake up Call they headed for the High School Hall where the groups presented their performances. Visitors could also see the exhibition of material gathered by the group Sopče from Kragujevac High School during summer as well as artefacts brought from Vranje, Dimitrovgrad, Bela Crkva and Subotica.

Before they continued for Vranje, the Caravan participants visited the refugee kindergarten in Kragujevac where they also carried out their performances and included the children in them as well. This visit raised sensitivity of all and ended up in laughter and tears, contributing to even firmer integration of the Caravan participants.