Politics and the media on one hand, art and science on the other. Is there any chance to create a possible platform for rational discussion? Can artistic expression of migration offer new perspective? Can it be a platform for dialogue with the public or even with politics and the media?

Is the European culture really threatened by foreign cultures or is it a pretext to cover real problems? The often mentioned feared loss of European values and ideas brings into question the true meaning of these values. Furthermore, does something like “European culture” really exist today and how can it be articulated?

Speakers: Niklas Perzi (AT), Brigitte and Thomas Samhaber (AT), Marek Šindelka (CZ), Salim Murad (CZ) and others.

Physical theatre with masks, inspired by cruel historical events in one unnamed African country…

Charles Nomwendé TIENDREBEOGO, originally from Burkina Faso decided to pursue the professional career by enrolling at the Center for Training and Research in Living Arts (CFRAV) in Ouagadougou (BF) for three years of training. Subsequently, he worked as an assistant to Ildevert Meda, a famous Burkinabe director. Wishing to increase his theatre experience and to compare his country’s theatre with theatre elsewhere, he decided to apply for a master degree at Accademia Teatro Dimitri in Switzerland, where he was accepted for the 2015/16 academic year. Currently, he works as an actor of Continuo Theatre (CZ).

Activists Raghda and Ámer got to know each other in the prison. They fell in love, married and had three sons. The family is in danger, so Ámer finally persuades hasitating Raghda to leave Syria. Raghda fights her double identity in exile – she is a mother and at the same time also a political activists. Dreams are collapsing, love turns into anger and despair.

How does it feel inside a Wolf’s stomach? Or what happens when three little pigs run into a wolf who knows hara-kiri? Do you know the sad story of A Little Mermaid?

Nori Sawa started his professional career in Europe in 1992, selected by The Cultural Ministry of the Japanese Government. Now he lives in Prague and often travels between Japan and Czech Republic. Nori taught courses and instructed workshops in many schools and festivals, like Theatre Faculty of AMU, Prague; Stanford University, University of Chicago, Northwestern University, USA; London Puppetry School and so on.

World is getting more and more open thanks to the globalization and internet and provides us with more and more opportunities. Along with the opportunities, new restrictions appear: we are constanty watched by cameras, our bodies are undressed by scanners at the airports and the freedom of our movement around the world is not that big as it seems…

Very special performance prepared especially for the PROMISED LAND Festival by students of JAMU Brno. Marek Slováček – director,  Otto Kauppinen – Dramaturgy, Anna Chrtková – Stage design.

An improvised sound and movement performance where all elements are integrated equally.

Migrantů is a group of foreign professional artists who have all worked together in various different contexts, including Moving Orchestra, Prague Improvisation Orchestra, Spitfire Company, and The Mond. This will be the first performance for this specific quintet, all of whom have lived and worked in Czech Republic for extended periods

George Cremaschi (US) – contrabass and electronics
Pasi Mäkelä (FIN) – electric guitar and percussion
Ken Ganfield (US) – electronics
Ingrid Zotova–MIkshina (RU) – movement
Roman Zotov–Mikshin (RU) – movement

Musician Nabíl, journalist Angela and IT Rami fled the war from Syria to Egypt. However, the situation of the refugees is getting worse every day and they are going to be deported. The group of friends chooses the only but very risky solution: to sail to Europe. Everything is at stake. Authentic shots recorded on the boat allow us to experience the journey physicaly together with the refugees.

A story of boy, Dom, who is misunderstood. Whenever Dom is confronted with problems in his life he uses his imagination to get away to his inner self. Just later he understands he can use this amazing tool to act in real life. This will make him take a new path where he meets Zack and fight his fears and problems. A performance about loneliness, friendship and imagination.

Aninformal group of three foreign pupeteers living in Prague: Mafalda Lopes (Portugal), Daniel Viana (Portugal), Husam Abed (Jordan).

Smells and Taste of the Orient – tasting traditional dishes, cooks Monika Oweyssi.

In this collaborative and experimental workshop, given by the physical theatre makers Charles Nomwendé Tiendrebéogo (BF) & Felix Baumann (DE) we are going to explore the roots of african and eccentric dance. Within this short laboratory we will discover how the essence of african dance and its origins – the main principal and qualities it brings to us – can be applied into a theatrical creation. This workshop is open for beginners, as well professional theatre makers, dancers and artists from all fields.

Solo documentary, puppet and storytelling performance for 8 spectators. Stories and situations from family life of Palestinian man born and raised in refugee camp performed and directed according to his own history. A non-traditional solo documentary and puppet performance for eight spectators with a culinary surprise at the end.

Husam Abed was born and raised in Baqa’a refugee camp, the biggest Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan. He is a puppeteer, musician and social worker living between Amman and Prague. Master of Directing for Alternative and Puppet theatre at DAMU – Czech Republic. Founder of Dafa Puppet Theatre/Jordan and Czech Republic. He has been performing and leading puppetry and storytelling projects for children and youth in many countries especially refugee camps and underprivileged areas in Jordan. He directed puppet performances, collaborated with artists from many nations. He is a member of UNIMA and ASSITEJ International.

Záhrada – Center of an Independent Culture is a non-profit organization that started as an informal group of artists, locals, students and volunteers. Nowadays, it is a place of meeting of various people and communities. As a cultural and community center, Záhrada offers the full-year program for various target groups. Main goal of the center is the presentation and support of contemporary art creation, mostly of performative genres (guest residencies of artists).

MELODIA CONFUSA – Bianca Trifan (Romania)  Just as humans did not stop to look for a hair loss cure, they did not stop to desire the knowledge. Philosophy of relativism and deconstructivism clearly shows us that there is no way how to describe the reality without the relation to its personal experiencing. Each time we try to understand an event, we reconstruct it or stay somewhere in between – catching a sound that comes from various points of views in a mutual clash.

SILENCE IN MASS – Katarína Vozárová (Slovakia) „Everything you read on the internet is true.“ George Washington. Do you know what was going on inside of head of a person that wrote the article on internet? Who is it? Do you believe him? Do you evaluate it? What about media? Do they have the power to change the mass thinking? Information is being stored to our minds in silence. Nobody hears the stream of the thoughts. You cannot feel it. Maybe some time in the future, a single article can change the way how you see the world. Do you believe the performance is about what you just read? But you do not know what was going on in the head of the person who wrote this text…

Concert for one woman and many of her voices – using the live sung and gradually layered vocals, spirally evolving songs are created. The performance is not accompanied by instrumental music – the only instrument of the evening is a human voice.

Ridina Ahmed dedicated several years to work on jazz music, she participated in both studio and live version of the project Floex, she created the music for several theatre shows. In November 2003 she created her solo project Hlasokraj that was awarded the Next Wave 2004 in category The Discovery of the Year. In 2006 she published a solo album By Voice. She performs alone and recently in due with contrabass player Petr Tichý in project HLASkontraBAS – their CD of the same title was nominated for Anděl award in 2016.

Smells and Taste of the Poland – tasting traditional Polish dishes, cooks Monika Sedláčková

“All planets are not the same. It is not about one having mountains and the other being completely flat. About one being colorful and the other black and white only. It is about feeling home on one of them. It is about friendship and understanding. But what if our home is in danger?

An interactive performance for children from 4 to 10 years old that was is based on the visual art pieces created by children from PL, CZ, SK and HU.

Puppet theatre performance based on motives from F. Kafka’s novel.

One year long trial starts. An average clerk has to face the invisible power apparatus, shrewdness of people around, stifling bureaucracy that he learns only the lowest steps about… All of it creates a feeling of his own, not clear but for sure compulsive, guilt. Who is judging him and why?”