Hyvää Maailman nukketeatterin päivää 21.3.2021
-yhdessä luomme liikkeen!
Vuoden 2021 Maailman nukketeatterin päivän julistuksen on
kirjoittanut Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
Juhlapäivän
julisteen on luonut Maryam Samaan.
Celebrated since 2003 on the initiative of the Union Internationale de
la Marionette (UNIMA – the International Puppetry Association), World Puppetry
Day is an opportunity to honour what is an exceptionally rich and ancient art.
The skill of subtle movements. The interplay between gesture and
illusion, between shadow and light. The mastery of costume, form and sculpture.
The art of dramatization, of concision and symbolism. Technical virtuosity and
poetry. The art of puppetry is universal. It is a consummate art.
To paraphrase Paul Claudel, puppets are words which act. Puppets,
through this actual narration, can embody the everyday just as well as they can
bring to life tales and stories from long ago. An inestimable manifestation of
heritage, the art of puppetry – whether the puppets are part of a solemn
ritual or set against a modern-day backdrop – is also utterly contemporary.
This is borne out by UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which to date contains 12 different forms of
this art. From Cambodian Sbek Thom to Slovak and Czech puppet theatre, each
form represents an exceptional concentration of skill and tradition and a
shared heritage which must be protected.
This commitment is that much more important today, when this fragile art
faces unprecedented challenges.
First and foremost, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has
reminded us just how much we need puppets’ evocative and inspiring power. At
the same time, however, it has also endangered the survival of puppetry,
robbing countless puppeteers of the conditions in which to ply their trade,
depriving them of their often very unstable income. UNIMA’s efforts to
financially support the sector’s cultural agents are thus invaluable and must
be widely supported.
Beyond the crisis, however, the art of puppetry faces the same threats
as those faced by cultural diversity in general. And for this in-person art,
the digital transition of cultural life is of particular concern.
It was thus in order to outline a vision for the future and to think of
ways to overcome the crisis that last April, UNESCO launched the global
ResiliArt debate movement, which brings together artists and culture
professionals to reflect on the challenges confronting the sector. Thanks to
UNIMA’s support, in 2020, more than 15 debates took place with puppetry experts
from around the world. We must now draw lessons from the experience and
mobilize collectively to ensure the continued existence and spread of this art
form and ensure that it continues to inspire us.
On World Puppetry Day, UNESCO pays tribute to all those who are keeping
this ancient art alive with passion and, in these strange times, with courage.
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
