NI Chawn Ein Dileu/We Shall Not Be Erased — We are still here
25 Sep 2020
The project by the Disability Arts Cymru (Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales, a devolved nation within the UK) titled NI Chawn Ein Dileu/We Shall Not Be Erased, comes together in solidarity to dialogue and learn from each other’s contexts, to share lived experience and identify opportunities and conceive our futures.
Through online interactions and EU partners, including existing Pan-European networks, they identify long-term action to tackle existing inequalities. This engagement would create digital conferences, podcasts, interaction and an online European collection of disability art.
We spoke with Ruth Fabby, the Director of Disability Arts Cymru on what made them think of the project, how they’re growing the project from local to pan European and how their project is helping to make Europe an open and shared public space for everyone.
“We work to support disabled and Deaf people with the arts – as many levels – and we’re quite bold about being political to raise issues from within our society about inequality. This has been massively impacted by the covid pandemic – from March to July 2020 – 68% of all covid-related deaths were disabled people in Wales.” Explains Ruth.
NI Chawn Ein Dileu/We Shall Not Be Erased contribution to Europe, post-corona
“NI Chawn Ein Dileu/We Shall Not Be Erased contributes to Europe post-corona bringing together communities across the EU to discuss issues about the impact on us as disabled people, and to commission artists to create work that can capture these issues. We are working with organisations in Sweden, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland and Wales/UK.”
Growing from local to pan European
“We plan on growing the project through digital connectivity – it has been the silver lining to the pandemic. We are already linking with 4 countries and aim to invite more disabled people from across the EU to get involved.”
Helping to make Europe an open and shared public space for everyone
When it comes to how the project will help make Europe an open and shared public space for everyone Ruth explains that “The issues for Disabled people are huge – many of us are shielding and have lost jobs and income through the lockdowns throughout Europe. We hope that by sharing these stories, making art that will build on collaborations between nations – we will make string statements that we are still here.”
NI Chawn Ein Dileu/We Shall Not Be Erased develops a series of conversations based on the societal position of disabled, Deaf and neuro-divergent people within the EU community through the lens of art & culture. These conversations/provocations include disabled academics, activists, artists, agitators, and their allies from across EU, partnering Wales/UK, Eire and Sweden, reaching beyond through established Pan-European networks. Artists are asked to respond to these conversations with new commissions in a variety of art forms, creating an online collection of European disability art. You can stay up to date with their work here.
Granted: € 37786