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LesArt elsewhere
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Thoughts dwell easily alongside one another
Guests at LesArt - LesArt as a guest at other locations
The longest road starts with the first step ...
(Chinese proverb)
LesArt in China, with the »whole world« in their suitcase
From 21. 8. - 04. 9. 2004 Sabine Mähne and Claudia Rouvel carried out eight training sessions in China. Following an invitation from the Goethe Institute in Peking they worked with approximately 250 participants in Guangzhou, Honking, Shanghai and Peking on ideas and experiences they had made in their daily work in Berlin.
Rudolf Wenzel spoke to them.
Who was your audience and how did they respond?
In the »Peoples Republic« it was comprised of librarians and teachers, in Hong Kong we also worked with full-time and voluntary social workers, mothers and the teachers of a Swiss school. The response was generally positive, the assessment of the possibilities for implementation was varied. In Guangzhou, the central children's library was to be refunctioned to become a LesArt twin institution. They asked very detailed questions about the framework conditions: Who finances LesArt, who determines the content, what kind of people work there? The employees of the Goethe Institute were very surprised to see who enthusiastic the participants to play and sing. The strict Chinese education system was, however, always a topic in the assessment discussions. The LesArt approach was deemed to contradict this system's emphasis on »knowledge acquisition«. The system did not concentrate on an emotional approach to literature and art. Children have to learn things by heart and the libraries have to provide literature for homework purposes. There is a lot of discontent about this situation, also in the media, but the changes have to be made from the top down. Very few stressed the fact - based on their own childhood memories - that learning how children feel is an important factor for their work. The change of perspective could be learned through good stories. These statements were an exception in the Peoples Republic, but were standard in Hong Kong. We wished that we could have had more time there to develop joint projects.
Were there elements that could be implemented despite the differences in the language, spoken and written?
Yes. Our concept integrated something that both unites and divides our cultures: the dragon as an animal in the fables, as a symbol and as a children's toy. When we demonstrated a two-headed, fire-spitting dragon, the participants showed how their water dragon walked as an emperor or they sang »We are the descendants of the dragons«. A PowerPoint presentation which had been translated into Chinese described the basics (e.g. childhood pictures) and forms of our work, made accessible through pictures from »A whole world«. The switch between interaction and demonstration in conjunction with cultural references was the key to understanding. With »A whole world« (Gerstenberg Verlag) we had a perfect means of understanding without having to use words. What is the »world« made up of? Mythologically it is made up of the elements, five in China (water, earth, fire, metal, wood), four in Europe. Feeling tap water, garden earth, metal, wood and the flame of a tea light as an introduction for the senses into a story was new for the participants. Working in small groups was also something new. With great enthusiasm they found connections between pictures and systems of order, laid out stories, spoke Chinese proverbs in response to the pictures. There was never a right or wrong, just the enjoyment of association and thinking. That is how we work in Berlin. The theatrical presentation of the old Chinese fable »Seven blind mice« (Ed Young) was very enjoyable. There were hardly any differences to German participants once a lively repartee had been established in the room.
What was your impression of the books on offer?
There was a big difference between the Peoples Republic and Hong Kong. Hong Kong has an attractive Central Library with a large children's library and a range of international books. We found picture books by Bruna, Quint Buchholz, Norman Junge, Lionni, Jörg Müller, Sendak or Sís... Next to this, we could see through a glass wall, there was a kind of play room for parents and children which could only be used with prior registration! We were particularly shocked by the range of picture books on offer at the other locations. Brochures, with lots of colours, with simple formats and in a cheap comic style fill the shelves. Book art for children seems to be rare. Readings for children are also rare as it would seem to be very few good authors. The Chinese children must be praised for their reading skills. They first learn Pin Yin: Latin letters which represent phonetically what Chinese symbols display. They then learn the Chinese symbols. A lot of the first reader books have both variants.
Would you do anything differently if you were to go again?
Our approach has one definite barrier: language. This barrier cannot even be crossed with the use of translations and interpreters. The basic approach of choosing cultural motifs and symbols as a bridge was a good choice, as was the switch between demonstration and interaction. Perhaps a higher level of intensity would, using a Chinese or German children's book (with a translation!), provide an opportunity to draft a concept for a joint event as a creative consultant workshop.
Interview carried out for »Eselsohr. Fachzeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur«, Edition 11/2004
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Documentation
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