In the face of the migration crisis in Europe in
2015, discussions on refugees and emigrants who live in
Poland have been dominated by stereotypes and negative
images presented by the media, and the division into supporters
and opponents of the “Others” have also become
highly visible in schools. The lack of topics in the field of
global education and of knowledge about the current situation
of African countries has contributed to the increase
in xenophobic attitudes among pupils, and to all sorts of
manifestations of verbal and physical violence motivated by
prejudices against people who stand out because of their
appearance or origin.
The Encountering the Other project, which has been run
by the Artykuł 25 Foundation and the National Museum in
Szczecin since 2014, attempts to reply to the lack in Poland
of a social basis of sensitivity, respect and solidarity with
people of different geographical and cultural backgrounds.
Its main aim is to allow primary, middle and secondary
school pupils to acquire knowledge about the Countries
of the Global South, which may encourage them to revise
their attitudes. The basis of the project is classes in
school which are based on our own script prepared from
a lecture by Ryszard Kapuściński, Encountering the Other:
the challenge for the 21st century, which he gave upon receiving
the title of doctor honoris causa from the Jagiellonian
University. The National Museum in Szczecin plays an
important role in the project. It runs classes for students
which show them the old art and culture of West-African
countries and their influence on European art, but also presents
works by contemporary artists from Benin, Nigeria
and the Republic of South Africa. As part of the Week of
Global Education, the museum presents documentaries for
children and teens from the Docs Against Gravity Festival,
and there are workshops using the kamishibai theatre and discussions on mutual understanding and global interdependence.
The project is complemented by a conference
targeted at teachers and representatives of organisations
working with children and teens, whose main aim is to
provide knowledge on the contemporary culture and art of
African countries, and to show good practices for counteracting
discrimination and violence motivated by prejudice.
The Encountering the Other project aims to counteract
prejudice and stereotypes, to show a different image of
the Countries of the Global South, to convince children,
teenagers and teachers to make their social attitudes more
responsible, which would be of key importance on shaping
trends today or in the future, and to incorporate global issues
into mainstream discussions.
North Perspectives for a Better South? Big Data and the Global South in Big Data & Society