October 2022

Contemporary European society is characterised by great linguistic and cultural diversity, which is already recognised and valued by a large proportion of the population. However, the artistic programming of does our cities not incorporate this diversity. Although works produced, performed, and/or starred by migrants and other minority or marginalized groups expressing the cultural contributions of these people have been increasing over recent years, they are still sporadic and poorly known events. Migrant and refugees, often involved in a complex struggle for survival, for obtaining permits and requirements needed for their incorporation into the labour market and the construction of a decent life, are hardly approaching the city's artistic creation spaces. Instead, their artistic expressions are often relegated to occasional events (celebrations and feasts) within their cultural circle.

The European project "La langue des oiseaux" addresses this challenge and proposes to contribute , through live artistic training, to strengthen the vocation and the artistic skills of migrants and refugees, to show their value as members of the artistic, creative and cooperative community; to foster artistic discourse on European identity from a post-colonial perspective, promoting the European intercultural awareness and wide linguistic diversity; and to encourage collaboration between cultural institutions in different countries to share and expand knowledge and products.

The project, co-funded by the European Union, is led by the artistic company MALTE – Music Arte Letteratura Teatro Ecc. and counts with the participation of two other European theatrical organizations (Association Sens-Interdit from Lyon and The Boat People Projekt from Göttingen), another from Senegal (Association Djarama) and the Catalan NGO Linguapax, which works for the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity internationally.

During the residence, different members of the five organisations participating in the project "La langue des oiseaux" will meet representatives of groups of migrants and refugees who participate in the training activities included in the project, and with other experts in the relationship between migration, inclusion and the arts, to reflect on the obstacles and opportunities for artistic development of migrants and refugees in the European context, to share experiences and knowledge, to identify good practices and to discuss them. In addition, they will work on reference documents for all those actors, public and private, who use the performing arts in multicultural groups as a tool for social and cultural inclusion, and for policy makers who want to commit themselves to develop an inclusive and innovative Europe where the arts become a mean of inclusion.

la-langue-des-oiseux-migration-diversity-and-arts-in-europe..pdf