Act & Art Closing Event in Ljubljana

On January 26th, the Act & Art project hosted its closing event at the Center Rog in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This event marked the culmination of a two-year initiative coordinated by the APIS Institute across five European countries. The project partners Association Odnos, Center Rog, EDI from Belgium, EFTA from Turkey, Green Muse from Germany, Les Créatives de Demain from France, aimed to promote social inclusion of young migrants and refugees through the development of innovative nonformal educational approaches and creative engagement in youth work. Katarina Kromar from Association Odnos presented the needs assessment report that served as a basis for the development of international training for youth workers who wished to further develop their knowledge about hte potential of using creative medium for social inclusion of vulnerable youth.

Renata Zamida, director general of Center Rog, presented their involvement in Act&Art project.

Ahmed Kullab’s artistic journey started in a circus school and as a dancer in Palestine while working at a bakery. He has been travelling the world since 2017, showcasing his talents and pursuing his dreams. Now an accomplished acrobatics trainer and performer with Circus Fuskabo in Ljubljana, he gained significant recognition in 2023 as a golden buzzer recipient and finalist on Slovenian Got Talent.

Ahmed presented his performance “Bridge,” a poignant narrative on the arduous journey of migrants, particularly from Palestine to Jordan, where Palestinians face multiple checkpoints and are treated without human dignity.

Ali R Taha, a Syrian/Iraqi singer-songwriter and talented music producer, moved to Slovenia 12 years ago for his education and has since made Ljubljana his home. Known for his unique performances that fuse ethnic melodies from various Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, Ali brings a rich tapestry of sounds to his music. He treated us to a Lebanese-Slovenian medley, starting with the Lebanese song “We’re neighbours with the moon.

Known artistically as El Henry, he’s a physical therapist at Soča rehabilitation center in Slovenia. He seeks to continue his work here due to the situation in Palestine. El Henry also channels his experiences into rap. His song, “Pardon Us, A message to all the world,” shares the pain of his homeland and has quickly resonated with audiences online. You can find more of his work on YouTube and Instagram under ‘El Henry’.

Guillermo Escalante from Argentina concluded the evening. Guillermo first came to Slovenia in February 2010 and stayed in the old Rog facility for two weeks until he found new accommodation, thanks to the social service in Rog, in a room in Rožna Dolina. For the final Act&Art evening, he performed in the new Rog as a professional artist. Guillermo, a ‘cultural migrant,’ excels in music, painting, ceramics, mask performances, poetry, and has been an art teacher at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum’s pottery workshop for three years.

Guillermo captivated us with an improvisation on the Colombian “Gaita” flute after opening the evening with a traditional Spanish song.

Within the Act and Art project, Hakim conducted two cycles of photography workshops for asylum seekers and refugees, culminating in pop-up exhibitions showcasing their creations. Hakim presented the workshops and the inspiring work of the participants.

Malgosia Paprotny from Poland, Valeriya Koval from Ukraine, and Islam S.M. AbuAmra from Palestine brings diverse expertise in psychology, physical therapy, and communication and social media skills respectively. They collaboratively developed a self-care workshop for young people coping with anxieties, stress, and post-war trauma. The workshop aims to help participants identify personal stressors related to migration and bolster resilience through self-care practices and knowledge

The Act & Art project is structured to support young people, particularly newcomers, through creative and artistic means. Key components of the project include capacity-building training for youth workers, developing artistic and creative tools that support youth workers in including refugees and migrants, and implementing activities that enable the involvement of young migrants and refugees in creative activities.

Before designing the training program for youth workers, who either already worked with refugees and migrants or aimed to include them in their activities, the project conducted a needs assessment involving 185 youth workers across five partner countries. Katarina Kromar, leading this process for Association Odnos, compiled a comprehensive report on the findings and presented the key takeaways.

Katja, a skilled macramé artist who gained knowledge while her travels to South America in 2009, today runs Chaska Art, where she crafts and sells distinctive macramé jewelry, often incorporating crystals. In our workshop, she generously imparted her macramé expertise to the participants, sharing her passion for this intricate art form.

We were honoured to have Miha Zor with us as a presenter.

Olga Senatorova Tisler, a migrant from Kazakhstan coming from a family of makers, is a creative artist and maker herself. She knows the difficulties of migration firsthand and knows how to use art and crafts to calm down yourself and a situation. Olga has relocated to Slovenia almost 7 years ago (a magic number for Kazakhs) and brings with her a vision to exchange knowledge and promote cultural dialogue through her art. Olga facilitated a zero waste brooches workshop.

Alisa Novska is a a talented 19-year-old artist from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Relocating to Slovenia at 13, she understands the challenges of such a transition firsthand. Alisa’s solo performance tonight, ‘Fauna,’ delves into the complex interplay between the animalistic and spiritual realms. Drawing inspiration from the Roman goddess of fields and woods, her performance embodies the transformation and duality of wildness and spirituality within us all.

Ahmad Ahmadi in Rahima Haidari presented the workshops they developed and facilitated as a tandem. Rahima is an Afghan immigrant living in Slovenia who conducted a traditional weaving workshop with the support of her husband, Ahmad, who complemented her crafting knowledge with Hazara cultural knowledge. After the workshops were implemented within the scope of Act & Art, Center Rog invited Rahima and Ahmad to implement regular weekly workshops in Center Rog when it opened its doors in 2024. Trio Verbena also performed with ‘Blackthorn, mother, near the house,’ a folk song traditionally linked to Ukrainian matchmaking ceremonies.

Hana Alhadi presented creative moment workshop , aimed at young women with diverse backgrounds.

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Act & Art Closing Event in Ljubljana

Act & Art Closing Event in Ljubljana

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