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Dance as a common language for engaged civic youth between Mayotte and the Democratic Republic of Congo

  • 2024 Winner

Kazyadance - The Kingdom of Flowers

The Kazyadance au Royaume des Fleurs company, directed by Djodjo Kazadi, is a space for research and creation centered around dance, theater, music, and visual arts. At the heart of this approach, the body and the object serve as anchors for an exploration of humanity in its relationship to the social and cultural environment. The projects draw upon the notion of memory, both individual and collective, and its resonances with the contemporary era. These inquiries revolve around the place or condition of the speaking subject caught in daily or historical, environmental or sensory issues that sometimes elude them. The unconscious memory of the body, the interpretation of what is perceived, the invisible or the ambiguous—all these are avenues marking this journey.

Context

TRANSenDANSES

Since 2019, the Kazyadance – Le Royaume des Fleurs association has been developing an artistic laboratory in Mayotte to address the lack of cultural and professional opportunities for young people in Mayotte. Through the TransENdanses project, conducted in partnership with the Kinshasa-based Kongodrama association, it uses the performing arts as a tool for integration and intercultural dialogue between young people from Mayotte and the Democratic Republic of Congo, opening a new avenue for regional cultural cooperation.

  • Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Location: Kinshasa
  • Sector of intervention:
    Culture, Heritage
  • Guild Endowment: €79,724
  • Project cost: €121,841
  • Project leader: Kazyadance
  • In partnership with: Kongodrama, Mayotte Department of Cultural Affairs, Petite-Terre Community of Municipalities
Funder(s):
• Coreom

Project objectives

  • Strengthening artistic and professional skills
    young people for better integration into society
  • Democratizing access to culture by developing a cooperative creation process
  • Promoting civic engagement, social inclusion and celebrating cultural identities through dance

Activities

  • Cross-functional workshops Democratic Republic of Congo/Mayotte
  • Choreographic creations and residencies
  • Support for the development of artistic projects
  • Public presentations and media coverage

Direct beneficiaries

Young people from Mayotte and the Congo engaged in artistic creation, as well as local arts and cultural education (EAC) and citizenship and international solidarity education (ECSI) structures mobilized in both territories

Expected results

  • Skills acquisition, empowerment and civic engagement for young people involved in the project
  • Collective artistic creation in both territories
  • Increased visibility of the performing arts through regional cooperation

A dual support and funding mechanism for overseas civil society organizations, the CORÉOM program – Overseas Regional Cooperation – encourages regional and international cooperation dynamics among associations based in Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion. Financially supported by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Fondation de France, CORÉOM is implemented by La Guilde, with a set of territorial networks and relay partners in the five territories.

Download the project sheet