The human rights violations of refugees in Lesvos, Greece have been widely documented by media and academia. However, less is known about the rights claims of the refugees, the lived experiences of the locals and the networks of care among them. Emerging at the intersection of academia, art and activism Arts into Acts documents how young people (refugees, asylum seekers and locals) negotiate borders and belongings in Lesvos. Since 2015, Lesvos has been crossed by millions of refugees on their way to Europe. The escalating humanitarian crisis has driven refugees and locals to despair, giving rise to xenophobic sentiments and nationalistic attacks. Arts into Acts is a Participatory Action Research project conducted online in times of Covid through a unique design of creative and digital methods which included interviews, a creative group and public performances aiming to contest borders of segregation, enable cultural encounters among refugees and locals and attend ethics of care. The findings show how creative and political acts land on (and often hide in) ordinary spaces of everyday life, addressing injustice through creating environments of care and solidarity, aiming to repair what is damaged.
Through this lecture, Boukouvala will share the project and its creative outputs. She will look at what is care, how it emerges at the intersection of gender, migration, racism and empowerment and how it can be maintained despite and in response to bordering practices.
Dr. Elena Boukouvala is a Participatory Action Researcher who works with migrant communities across Europe through creative and digital methods. Her academic background crosses the disciplines of Sociology, Dramatherapy and Psychology. She lectures in postgraduate education. She is the founder and artistic director of the international Play Perform Learn Grow conference which connects academics, artists and publics through creative methods.
