Imagine by UNIMA since 2003, the World Puppet Day allows to federate the actors of the puppet throughout the world. It shows a community of artists and puppet lovers united and committed to the values of education, human rights, cohesion, transmission, mixing tradition and modernity. For the 2nd consecutive year, the world crisis unfortunately did not allow to hold all the planned events. However, the vitality of the puppetry arts was widely visible on social networks, with a large number of posts relaying the hashtag #WPD2021. The member cities of AVIAMA also joined this action to highlight their places and their artists.
A message that connect us
The cities of Charleville-Mézières, Liberec, Pilsen, Tolosa, Tournefeuille, Sevilla, Segovia, Saguenay, and the borough of Outremont (Montreal – Quebec) among others have relayed the message written by Audrey Azoulay, director of UNESCO, which marked this year its support to the World Puppetry Day.
The [World Puppetry] Day is an opportunity to pay tribute to this millennial art of exceptional richness that are the puppets. Subtle skill of gesture, play of movement and illusion, of shadow and light; mastery of costume, form and sculpture; art of staging, of schematism and symbolism; technical virtuosity and poetry, the art of puppetry is a universal art, a total art. (…). Invaluable heritage, they are also always, that they evolve in the solemnity of a ritual or in contemporary settings, an art of today. (…)
To read the complete message : https://www.unima.org/en/projects-and-achievements/world-puppetry-day/audrey-azoulay-2021/
A few examples of celebrations that show the diversity of puppetry practices: through digital open houses, puppet collections, and artists’ testimonies.
In Pilsen, the Divadlo Alfa Theatre joined forces with UNIMA Czech Republic to present a moment full of poetry.
In front of Saguenay‘s city hall, FIAMS co-director Dany Lefrançois paid tribute to the puppeteers and their faithful audience.
In Charleville-Mézières, the International Puppet Institute has opened its doors digitally for the first time.
A Tournai et à Ségovie, the museums of the cities presented in video their fabulous collections of puppets.
The AQM in Outremont, Montreal, invited women puppeteers from various backgrounds to tell in a few words their love for their art. To read their testimonies it is here: https://aqm.ca/2021/03/21/journee-mondiale-marionnette-2021/
Let’s meet again in one year for a new World Puppetry Day, this time celebrated without restrictions!
And for more information: www.unima.org
