United Artists for Kosovo children

A personal account of three weeks spent in Marcadonian Refugee camps, facilitating a creative dance theatre programme for Kosovan refugee children by Claire Burrell.

In response to the Kosovan crisis, Rise Phoenix, a London based Children's Theatre Charity, set out to respond to the thousands of children who were presently living in very difficult camp conditions having witnessed the terrible atrocities of war. They called for volunteers, artists, teachers and creative people, who were willing to give one month of their time to help the children reclaim a sense of their lives. As a dance movement/theatre artist with a strong conviction in implementing the healing power of the arts I decided that this was my chance to actively respond with a style of intervention founded on unity and creativity where the military intervention of my own nation had actively contributed to the destruction of lives, homes and culture.

Operating from Skopije, and supported by the UNICEF's psychosocial support programme, Rise Phoenix had set out with clear objectives and intentions of practice. Beginning with the establishment of a communal place of work, the aim was to foster and encourage trust and friendship amongst children, to inspire, educate and socialise in an effort to get them back in touch with their own creativity. Dragan Matijevic, Head Co-ordinator at Rise Phoenix, suggested simply, that the key to the work with the children was " to remind them that there was more to life than the horrors they had just seen." The collaboration with UNICEF brought into focus The Convention on the Rights of the Child as an umbrella for the project. The Convention stands alone as the single most comprehensive instrument of human rights law and remarkably has been ratified by 176 of the world's191 countries. I have included some of it's articles, they have been interpreted by children, for children and so are easy to understand.

Article 22

If you are a refugee (meaning you have to leave your own country because it is not safe to live there), you have the right to special protection and help.

By the time I arrived, in early August the project had already been up and running in Marcadonian camps for six weeks. I was accompanied by two dance artist colleges and we were all eager to commence our phase of the project. Our main focus was to be in Refugee Camp Neprosteno, situated just outside the predominately Muslim town, of Tetova. The war was over, those who could go back home were leaving the camp, those who had money, contacts abroad or luck on their side had taken their chances and moved on to begin new lives. The atmosphere in the camp was heavy with anxiety, as the people who remained played a waiting game. Exhausted by the devastating traumas of the previous months there was little energy left to invest in any concept of a future tense .

Article 38

If you have been hurt or neglected in any way, for instance in a war, you have the right to special care and treatment.

The initial meeting with the children of Neprosteno was both powerful and overpowering. My diary entry reads ; " two hours after arriving home in Skopije, I can still feel the presence of tiny hands, needy hugs, cheek pinches and kisses by the million. Never have I received such a concentrated display of love and affection ". The camp, with it's military tents pitched on hard white gravel, supplied a roof, food rations, running water and medical assistance. Large family tents contained little more than the bedding provided by the camp, as most had fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs. As adults struggled to come to terms with all that had surpassed, children were left to run wild. Dirty and smelly they amused themselves with aggressive games of Tag and stone throwing.

Article 3

Whenever an adult has anything to do with you, he or she should do what is best for you.

To respond to the situation of children departing from the camp we decided to facilitate workshops in two tents. In a large tent, an open workshop catered for a large group, while, a core group of twelve children, who would be returning to Kosovo at the end of the week, had the more focused experience of working towards a short performance. We decided that the fairy story " The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Anderson could provide a framework for the children to explore their own stories, It was not the intention to unlock trauma but to provide a structure for reconstruction, re-establishment and a re-connection to the self. The ugly duckling character was played by myself in order to avoid both competition and isolation, and to give the children the opportunity to play the role reversal of their experience.

The story was translated and told in Albanian (by our invaluable translator), and the children created movement, text and sound to support their journey. The story begins ; " There once was an ugly duckling, with feathers all stubby and brown, and all of the birds, in so many words, said: " Quack! Get out of town !"", and of course all them had been forced to flee their own homes on the grounds of difference. The story continues "all through the winter time he hid himself away" and again the children remembered only too well the time they had spent in the mountains, hungry and afraid. The story ends with the ugly duckling's acceptance back into the community and as most of the children, found, the prospect of re-entry into Kosovo both painful and frightening, it seemed important to inspire possibilities of growth, transformation and the realisation of change. The children delighted in sharing the performed work to an audience of families, bringing their hard made costumes and characters into life.

Article 30

If you come from a minority group, you have the right to enjoy your own culture, practise your own religion and use your own language.

Working with the children provided a ripple effect throughout the camp society. It was seen that through the children's imaginations there could be a way of awakening the future for older generations. Andrew Caddell, an information officer for UNICEF in Skopije Marcadonia wrote in his feature "The Healing Power of the Arts", " Theatre provides hope in the sense that when the parents see their children laughing, they realise that they still have live in them, that they can still dream. And that provides genuine hope for a new beginning." Through dance, conscious and unconscious expression of movement, the children gained strength in the re-establishment of themselves and located that physicality within their present situation.

Article 31

You have the right to play.

The big tent, which was often unfocused, noisy and chaotic, brimmed with children of all ages and was sometimes successful in engaging adults, desperate for inclusion and stimulation. A wide range of physical movement based activities, dynamic games and creative play were offered to support participants in developing an interplay which communicated way beyond the boundaries of verbal and cultural limitations. Stretching and bending, hugging and releasing, jumping and landing required an exploration of personal boundaries while working with partners provided a platform to negotiate support, balance and trust. There was much laughter and constant tears as the children fought with each other in a ceaseless competition for space, attention and material things. Fighting was a very real feature in their lives and the survival of the fittest very much the law of the land.

Article 19

No one should hurt you in anyway. Adults should make sure that you are protected from abuse, violence and neglect. Even your parents have no right to hurt you.

On leaving the camp, on our final day, there were many tears. It was obvious that the contact, encouragement and support that we were able to give the children in communicating and expressing their emotions and ideas had been both valuable and vital to their time spent in the camp. But, now it was over and we were leaving to go back to our homes and our promising futures. And suddenly a drop in the ocean experience became a desperate cry to humanity. How many times can we ask the children to trust us? How many times will we walk away?

Article 42

All adults and all children should know about this Convention. You have the right to learn about your rights and adults should learn about them too.

Article 6

Everyone should recognise that you have the right to live