Ljubljana, from 25th of September till 2nd October
The Baobab society aims to surpass the existing situation and the consequent society’s failure to understand tolerant coexistence by organising the first international festival of African culture in Slovenia and act against the wider public’s prejudice through presenting cultural traditions and practices of African dance, music, multimedia performance art, innovative pedagogical approaches and expert and popular literature.
The target group of the main project, International Festival of African Culture – Baofest, are African immigrants and their children, whose need to maintain the cultural identity of their individual and wider communities is expressed through their seeking of opportunities for demonstrating their cultures’ practices.
The lack of supportive education and training for true understanding and recreation of African motion and sound prevents this group from upgrading their original knowledge and integrate it within their new living environments. Opportunities for improving their employment options, reaffirming their self-image and supporting their inclusion into the society are rare due to their limited knowledge of Slovenian language. Similarly, their possibilities for exceeding the stereotypes about immigrant cultures are weak.
A(tra)ctive possibilities for inclusion of new cultures into Slovenian cultural space will provide the immigrants and the communities they are a part of opportunities for enhancing the quality of coexistence and mutual enrichment between different cultures, and by raising awareness aim to promote tolerance, coexistence and respect for basic human rights, personal dignity and integrity.
Our goal is inclusion through acquiring and expanding knowledge about the diversity of cultures.
ProgrameLes Frères Sanou (Burkina Faso) – concert
Sekou Kouyate (Guinea) – solo concert
Thomas Guei & Ivoir Percus (France / Côte d’Ivoire) – concert
Maša Kagao Knez (Slovenia): Rojena zunaj svoje vasi – Born outside her village – pre-premiere solo dance