Theatre Makes Politics (TMP)

Berovo North Macedonia 20-24/1/2023 Research Workshop 4

Theatre Makes Politics (TMP)
Cooperation project in the field of theatre, education and citizenship
Erasmus+ 2022-2025
 Partners:  Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik E.V. (BUT) Germany (Coordinator),
La Transplanisphere (LT) France, Ex-Quorum (EQ) Portugal, Center for Intercultural Dialogue (CID) North Macedonia, Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr) Greece, Stadt Theatre Dortmund (STD) Germany

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Research Workshop #4
“Fake news & Conspiracy Theories ”
Berovo North Macedonia, 20-24 January 2023
Venue: Convento dos Remédios (Avenida São Sebastião, Évora)
Hosted by CID
Lead: CID

TMP in short: Based on theatre practices, TMP project wants to propose a creative response to address religious extremism, populism, racism and conspiracy theories in Europe. Through creative tools, TMP intends to support pedagogues and youth workers in their practices. In this sense, the project may help youngsters to find a deeper understanding of people who are “different”. TMP is about overcoming prejudices and discover the pleasure of exchanging, playing and acting for young people

The 4 Research Workshops for Theatre Makes Politics (TMP) project
1) Paris – Montreuil, 20-22 September 2022 (religious extremism)
2) Lesvos Isl Greece, 27-30 October 2022, (racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism)
3) Evora  Portugal 28-30 November 2022 (Christian religious dogmatism and politics)
4)  Berovo North Macedonia (20-24 January 2023) (Conspiracy theories and fake news) 

BEROVO WORKSHOP
Saturday 21/1/2023. 11:30: Zoom session with Biljana Gjoneska, MD, PhD a research associate from the Academy of Sciences and Arts of North Macedonia. She will talk about the psychological background and theatricality of fake news and conspiracy theories. 

Sunday 22/1/2023  three sessions in person with Ognen Janeski, a journalist who works on the topic of disinformation..

Monday  23/1/2023 practical sessions on theatre methods with Aleksandra Mihajlovska, an actress from the National Theater of Kumanovo, with extensive experience as a youth worker

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theatre Makes Politics (TMP)  (in short)
an Erasmus+ Youth Project 2022-2025

Main partners
-Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V., (BUT), Germany (Project Coordinator)
-La Transplanisphere (LT), France
-Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr), Greece
-Ex-Quorum - Associação de Divulgação de Eventos Culturais (EQ), Portugal
-Centre for Intercultural Dialogue Association, (CID), Rebublic of North Macedonia
-Stadt Theatre Dortmund (STD), Germany 

Main areas of concerns: TMP proposes to originate a creative response on anti-democratic forces in European societies.
The consortium of partners considers it is extremely important that youth workers working with young Europeans are able to use creative tools to question how populists and extremists  try to manipulate them.

The project explores how some groups create opposition up to enemyship to other groups, be they refugeexpected es, muslims, “unbelievers”, LGBTQ+ a.s.o.

The expected  results: TMP  develops creative worktools, a handbook, an a network, in order to empower youth workers to be able to shift perspectives in their concrete work, and to help young people to find a deeper understanding of people who are “different”, overcoming prejudices and discover the pleasure of exchanging, playing and acting with people they would otherwise never meet.

The project’s objectives are:
- To empower and encourage youth workers to integrate methods into their work that will help them to address antidemocratic attitudes, such as racism, nationalism, intolerance, as well as religious fundamentalism in all its forms.
- To enrich the set of methods and tools available for youth work in the above fields with techniques from the field of theatre pedagogy and other performing arts.
- To create a core of youth trainers/ workers who have skills to tackle these sensitive issues in their work, and who also can act as multipliers

The project will address the 4 following issues using theatre/drama and performing arts:

1. Far-right extremism and populism: Racism and anti-refugees' rhetoric
2. Far-right extremism and populism: Conspiracy theories and fake news
3. Religious fundamentalism: Islamic fundamentalism 
4. Religious fundamentalism: Christian religious dogmatism and politics

The steps:
a) 4 face-to-face Research Workshops (Paris – Montreuil France, September 2022: religious extremism, Lesvos Isl Greece, October 2022: racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism, Evora Portugal November 2022: Christian religious dogmatism and politicsm, Skopje, North Macedonia, January 2023: Conspiracy theories and fake news)
b) Research & Writing Groups
c) Drafting a manual
d) Presenting the manual to selected youth workers
e) Testing the methodology with Youth Groups
f) Re-writing the manual & work-tools
g) Dissemination events (local conferences)

Implementation period 1/3/2022-1/3/2025

Project ID No:  2021-2-DE04-KA220-YOU - 000049944
(Erasmus+ Cooperation partnerships in youth 2021, Round 2)

--------------------------------------------------------------------