Expressive arts students visit Colombia

During their month-long stay, the students engaged in collaborative learning and cultural exchange with students from the local university, Universidad de Los Andes. Through shared, intensive classes in Spanish and theatre, the students explored the cultures and communities of Aotearoa New Zealand and Colombia and how they relate to global issues such as climate change.

The Massey group also attended theatre shows, including an epic tango-opera at Teatro Municipal Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, went on cultural and environmental trips, and learned about Colombian history, deepening their understanding of different cultures and expanding their worldviews.

As cultural ambassadors for Aotearoa New Zealand, the students shared their culture and education system with the people of Colombia, discussing similarities in beliefs about the land and bodies of water, particularly rivers.

They also compared indigenous cultures and practices, particularly regarding people’s connection to mother nature (Papatūānuku), as they worked with a Colombian social justice community group to produce a powerful shared theatre project about water.

Massey student Luciano Lara says, “I feel so lucky to have been involved in all of this. Learning about the differences and similarities between both our cultures was eye-opening.”

The trip was made possible by a successful application to Education New Zealand by Professor Leonel Alvarado and Professor Elspeth Tilley from the School of Humanities, Media and Creative Communication.

Professors Alvarado and Tilley travelled with the group to support the students and to work with Universidad de los Andes colleagues to develop further exchange, articulation and research collaboration opportunities between the two universities.

Highlights of the trip included:

• Students giving a live climate theatre performance about indigenous sustainability values at the Museo Nacional de Colombia
• Students and staff, in collaboration with Uniandes staff, students, members of Anfibia Teatro Group, and members of La Esquina Redonda, producing a moving and powerful performance about the rivers of Colombia and Aotearoa, called What if the River Could Speak? The performance took place in the Auditorio Alberto Lleras Camargo, Universidad de Los Andes, and was attended by the New Zealand Ambassador to Colombia, Nicci Stilwell, along with Embassy, Uniandes and Education New Zealand staff, Uniandes students and community guests. The La Esquina Redonda members had been displaced from a Bogotá suburb nicknamed ‘The Bronx’, that was raided and demolished in 2016 by the police and army as their resolution to drugs and violence. Massey students listened to the community tell their stories and these were incorporated into the jointly devised performance.
• A climate change briefing to staff and students from José Manuel Sandoval who was one of Colombia’s climate negotiators at COP21 and contributed to developing Colombia’s response to the Paris accord.
• Theatre training with Professor Pedro Salazar, who has studied with the world-leading theatre practitioners and shared profound insights into theatre as a transcultural communication tool.
• A particular feature of the trip was the extensive and powerful creative activism found throughout Bogotá.

The students have maintained contact with many of the Colombian students and teachers since the trip and were even offered accommodation in their homes when they return.

Saying goodbye to their Colombian counterparts was an emotional experience for everyone and many are now investigating further exchange opportunities, including Education New Zealand’s individual Prime Minister’s Scholarships.

Professors Tilley and Alvarado, along with Uniandes staff, are assisting with establishing internship and study opportunities in Bogotá for these and future Massey students.

Student Jesse Brady says, “I wasn’t expecting to get so close to everyone I met in such a short space of time. I hope to be back soon.”

A blog about the trip is online here.