Reflections on the 25Th IPRA General Conference

Reflections on the 25th IPRA General Conference Istanbul, Turkey August 1-5, 2014

By Dr. Cynthia Cohen

The Arts and Peace Commission of the International Peace Research Association met at the IPRA Conference in Istanbul in August, 2014. We hosted a very full schedule of presentations, discussions, and films. The works presented included artist-based work, community-based work and ritual; we learned about exciting collaborations between artists and activists, and about artists becoming activists themselves. The disciplines of theatre and music were strongly represented; we have work to do to reach out to visual artists, architects and literary artists among others.

The Toda Institute supported the Arts and Peace Commission by funding thirteen presenters working as artists, scholars and peacebuilding practitioners in the field of music. Rik Palieri also led the entire conference in a rousing rendition of “Goodnight Irene” in honor of Pete Seeger, the folksinger and activist who passed away earlier this year. One of the most tender moments of our commission was when Yair Dalal performed his beautiful composition Zaman el Salaam (Time for Peace) before leaving the conference early because of the war in Gaza and Israel.

We addressed the tensions of the region also by creating opportunities for a delegate from Greek Cyprus to enter into conversation with colleagues from Turkey, a country that fails to acknowledge his national identity. This exchange took place within the context of our sessions at IPRA, and also at a special session convened by the Acting Together project and ReCAST, Inc. and nearby Kadir Has University, where we screened the Acting Together documentary, and discussed theatre and peacebuilding. We learned there about the challenges faced by Kurdish theatre artists during the years when the Kurdish language was banned.

Our most controversial session entailed a presentation from a survivor of the Rwandan genocide who screened images of more contemporary atrocities as she told her story. Her decision to screen images of an execution profoundly disturbed those who witnessed it, and sparked an engaged and urgent discussion about ways that well-crafted artworks can draw attention to horrible atrocities without re- traumatizing.

A particularly impressive session included papers from three researchers working in Colombia, who have posted their papers on Peacebuilding and the Arts’ virtual resource center. They are planning to convene a gathering of arts and peace scholars and practitioners in Colombia, since many of their colleagues applied to come to IPRA but did not receive funding.

of 2 Other presentations that stand out in my mind include Dijana Milosevic’s presentation about a collaboration between DAH Teatar and Women in Black that involved a silent protest in which activists dipped their feet into red paint and left footprints (or ‘traces’) on white sheets. And Ellen Frank shared works from her monumental ‘Cities of Peace’ collection – with nine cities’ rich cultures celebrated in large illuminated works, each incorporating a reminder of bloodshed with a small but striking read thread. Gerry Stropnicky shared clips of musical theatre projects that involve hundreds of participants from some of America’s poorest counties, and offered statistics about reductions in teen suicide rate in these particular counties as convincing evidence of efficacy.

We engaged in a robust discussion about the governance of our own commission, affirming a three-tiered leadership structure: a Global Advisory Committee that consists of past co-conveners; co-conveners; and then members of the commission who take on leadership roles in relation to particular art forms, regions or themes. We elected Dr. Kyoko Okumoto of Japan as a new co-convener (organizing more “developed” countries), with Dr. Polly Walker of the U.S. as a support person. Both Kitche Magak of Kenya and Maria Elisa Pinto Garcia of Colombia will continue as co- conveners from less “developed” countries. Most participants in the session also signed up for leadership roles between now and the next conference. Dr. Olivier Urbain of the Toda Institute, and past co-convener of our commission, is coordinating that effort.

Istanbul proved to be a stimulating but challenging context for our conversations. It was a privilege to be there, and I feel quite proud of the development of the arts and peacebuilding field as evidenced by the geographic diversity and breadth of our presentations, and, especially, the quality of conversation that emerged in responses. With Kyoko and Polly joining the leadership team, I’m confident that the 2016 convening (perhaps to be in Freetown, Sierra Leone) will support our continued development as a commission and as a field.