A weekend of intercultural dialogue between Sri Lanka and Romania takes place on October 25 and 26 at the National Museum of Old Maps and Books and at the Residence9. The event is part of the project “Almost. The culture of new migrants // Focus: Sri Lanka” and offers the public in Bucharest participatory activities, readings and creative workshops dedicated to the Sri Lankan community and the general public.
The project “Close. The culture of new migrants // Focus: Sri Lanka”, which brings to the fore the Sri Lankan culture and the stories of Asian migrants in Romania, continues in October with a new series of activities. Between October 25 and 26, the public in Bucharest is invited to the community mini-festival “APROAPE. TOGETHER”, two days of meetings and dialogue at the Museum of Maps and the Residence9.
The event proposes a creative exploration of Sri Lanka's oral tradition culture and how stories of migration can create bridges of dialogue between communities.
The program includes participatory activities for all ages, dedicated both to the Sri Lankan community in Bucharest and to the general public: from showcases of the research results from the project, to a session with stories from the Sri Lankan community and a creative collage workshop.
Access to the events is free, based on registration through a form that can be accessed HERE.
October 25. Maps, stories and fragments of life at the Map Museum
On Saturday, October 25, the National Museum of Old Maps and Books (Str. Londra 39) hosts activities designed to map, symbolically and affectively, the personal paths of those present. Starting at 14:00, the public is invited to participate in an interactive showcase around two large maps – Sri Lanka and Bucharest – on
where participants will be able to place pins and post-its with significant events, hometowns or migration stories.
From 16:00, the event continues with an informal sitting, during which excerpts from the texts developed during the mixed creative writing and cultural exploration workshops organized during the first two months of the project will be read. Thus, the voices of migrants and those of the locals will meet in a space dedicated to dialogue and mutual listening.
October 26. Folk tales and intercultural collages at Rezidența9
The second day of the mini-festival will take place on Sunday, October 26, at Rezidența9 (Str. Ion Luca Caragiale 32). Starting at 17:00, the public will be able to discover for the first time part of the research results in a showcase of performative readings in Romanian with a selection of popular stories from Sri Lanka, collected and translated within the project.
The Sri Lankan community is also invited to contribute their own stories in English to complement this growing collection.
From 18:30, the program continues with a creative collage workshop dedicated to the general public, held in English in mixed teams. Families with children, teenagers and adults are invited to create their own collages on themes such as belonging, travel, memory or the cultural imaginary.
“Almost. The Culture of New Migrants // Focus: Sri Lanka” is a project developed by the film co/laboratory. Between August and December, the pilot edition brings to the attention of the general public community events, pop-up exhibitions, performances, workshops and editorial materials that highlight Sri Lankan culture and the stories of Asian migrants in Romania.
PARTNERS: Residence 9 – a program Fundația9 | BRD, Museum of Maps, One World Romania
MEDIA PARTNERS: HotNews, Radio Romania International, Iscoada, Bookzone
