Opera Village Africa x European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024

Opera Village Africa is an official partner of the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 as part of the interdisciplinary DECONFINING project. In the multi-phase project, which includes artistic activities such as residency programs and theater productions as well as cultural-political activities, all activities deal with the term “deconfining” and the question of how old patterns can be broken up and redesigned. The focus is particularly on the social, ecological and spatial dimensions of “deconfining” inscribed hierarchies. It is about breaking up paternalistic and colonial patterns in favor of a participatory attitude and an equal “co-creation” approach. Over a period of two years, new strategies for sustainable, equitable intercontinental cultural exchange will be developed by a large number of cultural and political actors from the African and European continents.

Last year, the writers’ residency with the authors Sidiki Yougbaré (Burkina Faso) and Thiemo Strutzenberger (Austria) laid the foundations for the play that will follow at the end. The artists Ava Binta Giallo (Germany/Guinea) and Thierry Oussou (Benin) are currently working on an art installation that will later serve as a stage set. In September, another collaboration between African and European artists will take place with the Theater Residenz for the play, which will premiere on October 9, 2024 IN BAD ISCHL, SALZKAMMERGUT, AUSTRIA.