Art MattersBy Carole Umulinga Karemera, Member of the Executive Committee of ASSITEJ International This year, the rainbow nation, South Africa, celebrates 30 years of peace, after decades of apartheid, racial violence and discrimination. This year, the country of one thousand hills, Rwanda, celebrated 30 years of peace, after the genocide against the Tutsi of Rwanda in 1994. Those children in 1994 were the hope to rebuild for the future we aimed to see. They carried in their hearts the pain and the joy, the shame and the dignity to be children of Africa. Those children born in or just after 1994, are now growing up women and men, some working hard, having families or travelling the world. Living in the country of one thousands hills and having travelled a lot across the African continent (from South Africa to Burundi, from Burkina Faso to Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, etc.) as an artist and a witness I can tell: Many of them, through arts and creativity, could connect their own lives with the big History, and have found how to make some sense of it. Many of them through the power of arts and creativity, could reimagine and repair the relations with their neighbours, their families, their community, their country. Many of them embraced arts and creativity as a profession and as a space where they could breathe easily, freely and envision new realities. Today, in 2024, many children around the world are now living in war zones, deprived of water, food and security. They are displaced, living far from their homes, their families scattered across borders and territories. Art matters for those children. When the sky is so dark that no stars can be seen, someone can tell a story. Art matters for those children. When sirens are screaming, when birds are not singing, someone can chant a new melody. Art matters for all children. When peace is a dream and not yet a reality. In May 2024, in Havana, Cuba, I was elected to join the Executive Committee of ASSITEJ International. Last month, in Prague, I attended my first EC meeting and realised how vast and strategic the organisation is, how urgent and enriching it is to see the world and its complexities from different cultures and experiences. Last month, the African Children and Youth Theatre Arena Network has just been rejuvenated under this motto Far together, that’s the goal, that’s our journey. Those words are powerful and remind us, it is time to mobilize the collective intelligence to advocate for children’s rights to peace and access to creativity in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Within ASSITEJ International; its national centres, the professional networks and its thousands of members; there already exists the capacity to strongly and efficiently advocate for all children and youth’s rights. But if we are more, we can do more. We can be stronger and go further together. Lire en français> Leer en español> | 
