Drumming for Peace, Pamoja Kungoma Ya Amani (together around the drum of peace, in Swahili) in 2008 consists of a tour of three drumming groups from DRC, Rwanda and Burundi in their respective countries as well as neighbouring countries to celebrate their heroes and to promote peace. Iranian film maker Maziar Bahari is filming the events and making a doumentary of this unique tour that celebrates peace. read more
In 2007, ten Surinamese poets and scholars participated in a workshop on ‘Bidesia’ in Allahabad, India. This Indian/Surinamese/Dutch project deals with an old poetic tradition in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that expresses the region’s migration history. Through time, Bidesia has become a way to remember and cope with migration in India, Surinam and the Netherlands. Using historical audio and visual material and recent performances, the Bidesia Project brings together the many varieties of this poetic tradition. Among the organizations involved in the project was the Institute of Social Sciences Research (Instituut voor Maatschappij Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek; IMWO) in Paramaribo, Surinam. This initiative brings together poetic roots and shows the Netherlands the cultural consequences of its colonial past. The Fund contributed € 30,000 euro to this workshop in India, most of which was used for the travel costs of Surinamese participants. read more
In December the Living Together as One festival took place in Monrovia, Liberia. Still severely affected by years of civil war, Liberia is a country where cultural manifestations promoting peace and reconciliation are badly needed. The promotion of intercultural exchange between the various ethnic groups and the celebration of this diversity is a welcome development in the Liberian context. Liberia is a Zone of Silence. By supporting the festival, the Prince Claus Fund can establish a presence in the country and build up a network of artists, including people from remote areas who travelled to Monrovia to participate in the festival. The Fund contributed € 18,000.
The theme of the 2004 Prince Claus Awards was The Positive Results of Asylum and Migration. Within that context the exhibition Cordially Invited about the positive aspects of migration was organised in cooperation with BAK /Utrecht in the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. In 2005 the theme of Positive Results of Migration and Asylum will explored and developed further.
Complementing the film festival, Ziff organised a conference where scholars presented papers and documentary clips to elaborate on the main theme and sub-themes. These include the Dhow Culture, Migrations across the Indian Ocean, the Diasporas and Cultural Diversity and Change in Zanzibar. The conference was supported by the Prince Claus Fund. www.ziff.or.tz
Network partner Utan Kayu will organize its biennial Literary Festival from August 26 to September 3, 2005 in Bandung (West Java), Jakarta, and Lampung (South Sumatra). A joint publication of Utan Kayu and the Prince Claus Fund in the journal Kalam to record this biennial is envisaged for the first quarter of 2006. Utan Kayu
Speech delivered on the occasion of the presentation of the publication Commemorating Slavery, 1999. read more
Drumming for Peace in Burundi.
Photo: David Shem -Tov
Monsoons and Migrations, conference 5 July 2005, Zanzibar
It seems to be increasingly difficult to live together peacefully. The Prince Claus Fund emphasises the positive aspects of living together, and examines the initiatives and attitudes that function successfully in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural societies.
The 2004 theme, the Positive Results of Migration and Asylum, is a part of Living Together. How can migrants contribute to a society, any society? How can migrants and a society benefit each other?
awards 2004