The project idea was given by one of the members of the initiative group, who during his university studies was part of a student theatre in Lublin. The idea was to organize a series of theatre workshops with the director Leszek Mądzik from Lublin, during which young people would be able to reflect on the topic of interpersonal difference, the feeling of being an alien, and thus reflect upon the ideas of cultural diversity and tolerance. The workshops based on strong expression and involvement of the participants created an opportunity to actually feel “on their own skin” how it is to be different or alienated.
An important element of the project was the local community. The initiative group organized before the workshops a small casting for young people interested in participating in the project. Over 50 young people came to the meeting showing very strong motivation to participate and presenting their talents and skills. However the casting was not about the acting skills. During the casting the project team was asking about the interests of the young people, their plan for the future, what they would like to get from the workshop and for what would they like to use the experience. Most wanted, where young people who would be opened to do something for their local community, or those for whom the project could really give a positive boost and help them believe in themselves and spread their wings. The idea was to create a group of leaders who would then act for change in their local community.
The project was divided in to 2 stages – first working with the master and then the second stage - theatre workshops with a professional animator. Both stages were summarized by a theatre play for the local community performed in the City Culture Center in Ruda Śląska.
Working with the Master
On the 18th of September 2009 The Master – theatre director Leszek Mądzik, came to Ruda Śląska with his 2 technical assistants. He is known for his specific theatre form, based on movement, light, colour, sound and the complete lack of words. He formed his “Art Scene” on the Catholic University in Lublin in 1969. The plays performed by the theatre are usually dominated by a philosophic reflection on life and passing away, which usually come from the experiences of the director.
The workshops with Leszek Mądzik were attended by a group of 15 young people from Ruda Śląska and the neighbouring cities. They worked hard for complete 7 days and showed the final performance “The Tower of Babel” on the 27th of September 2009.
On the 22nd of September the project had a meeting with a very special guest – Ms Towa Ben-Zwi, who came to Ruda Śląska specially on the Institute’s invitation.
A meeting with Tova Ben-Zvi
Towa Ben-Zwi is a singer and pedagog. For years she has been actively working to build an understanding between the Poles and the Jews. She was born in Lodz befor the war in religious, Hasid family. Miraculously she survived the Holocaust: the clearing of the Lodz Getto, camps in Auschwitz, Guben and Bergen-Belzen. After the war she moved to Israel. On the Hebrew University she finished Hebrew literature studies and Judaism science. She also learned to sing. She recorded 18 albums singing in many languages. She traveled around the world performing songs and leading educational programmes to bring the Jewish culture closer to her audience. Since 1991 she is a regularly coming to Poland, every year performing in theatres, clubs, churches and synagogues. She visits schools with her proggame „A trip across Israel”. During her meetings and concerts in Poland she tries to make her audience aware of the Jewish roots of Christianity and show how many things connect the Poles with the Jews. In 1999 for her work she has been named the “Man of Reconciliation” by the Jewish-Christian Council in Poland.
The meeting with the participants of the workshops was the first visit of Towa Ben-Zwi in Ruda Śląska. She was the first to see the “Tower of Babel” performance and afterwards she also saw the photo exposition of Leszek Mądzik, who personally led her through the exposition. During the meeting with the youth she remembered the story of the “Tower of Babel” from the bible, which is the story of how all the languages come from our common ancestor. She also described how the Hebrew language became the official language in Israel and told how Poland is perceived by the Jews today, especially by the Israeli youth. She shared her thoughts on the Polish-Jewish relations and how happy she was seeing the rise in the interest in the Jewish culture in our country. She said that the relations are improving but still a lot of painful memories and unfair stereotypes need to be overcome.
In the end of her meeting she performed an old Jewish song telling that you shouldn’t fear in your life. She also gave the text in Polish and in Hebrew, so after a moment the whole group began to sng together.
The meeting with Towa Ben-Zwi gave proof, that through art people can overcome every border.
