It has been nearly two months since the end of ’Cradle of Creativity’ in South Africa. It was a powerful, socially engaged, creatively explosive, wide-ranging, nationally transformative, moving, and highly significant event. It was highly significant for those of us who were there in Cape Town for the twelve days of its duration. But hopefully it will carry on being significant beyond those twelve days and also for those of you who were not there. Or rather, I believe it is already in the process of becoming significant in that way. For ourselves individually, and as a collective, global professional environment.
ASSITEJ South Africa had decided to name the congress ’Cradle of Creativity’, inspired by ’Cradle of Humanity’. A metaphor intended to place Africa at the centre of our mental world map. And Africa is indeed placed at the centre, I don’t think anyone would doubt that!
What we experienced in Cape Town – the diversity, the generosity and the way that ASSITEJ as association and global community was used to make a difference on a national and international level – will be flowing into the global performing arts in the coming years. As Executive Committee – and Secretary General, for my part – it is our task to ensure that this happens. This includes bringing it to Beijing next year, to Kristiansand in 2019, and to Tokyo in 2020, and making sure that it blends and transforms into something new, unique, and fruitful in each place.
Below is listed for those of you who did not attend ’Cradle of Creativity’ and the General Assembly some of its most important decisions and news, including a look at the faces of the newly elected Executive Committee (EC).
But first I want to give a huge thank you to the members of the previous EC that are not staying on, namely Vigdís Jakobsdottír, Diana Krzanic-Tepavac, Imran Kahn, Nina Hajiyanni, Adi Beeri, and Razi Amitai. They have poured their life and soul into their tireless work for ASSITEJ, for the benefit of us all.
This newsletter is the first edition since 2014 not to be produced by Marisa Gimenez Cacho (photo). Marisa decided not to run for Secretary General again. We are many who lament her decision deeply. I promise to do my utmost to carry on your work. Thank you, Marisa!