Dear All,
the time has come for the next step to be taken towards the conference: in the upcoming days, you will receive the letters of acceptance that will pave the way for you to Cologne. Please start applying for visas as soon as possible if necessary.
We are always happy to answer any questions and help.
»A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees, « said William Blake (1757-1827) in the Proverbs of Hell in his seminal work The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790/93).
I came across this quote while reading Johnny Pitt's travelogue Afropean (2019), a search for traces of Afropean history from Moscow to Marseille and Lisbon. Because his gaze is directed to discover for what is often overlooked or outshone by common narratives, he gradually develops an alternative map of the continent, criss-crossed by many connecting lines connecting it within itself and to the African continent via the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. In his spirit – and in line with Blake's aspiration of a world that can be revived by phantasy and revolution: let us be wise and see the Fool's Trees where hostile dogmas want to turn evergreen forests into leafless carcasses.
Theatre and performance enthusiasts beware!
The IFTR not only takes place in the stronghold of German carnival, Cologne, which is noticeably approaching week by week, your journey also takes you to North Rhine-Westphalia, which, with 18 municipal theatres, 5 state theatres, 111 programme theatres, 60 independent theatres and a multitude of private performance venues, boasts the greatest density of theatres of any federal state in Germany. Where coal was once mined, today the 11 Ruhrbühnen await visitors, the velvet red curtain rises on musical theatre in 13 locations in the Opernland NRW, and international movement artists meet at the Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf, among many other places. So, if you are planning your trip, you can increase your anticipation even more by looking at the programmes from Cologne, Essen, Dortmund, Mühlheim an der Ruhr and many more. A little tip for our student visitors: many theatres offer big discounts on pre-sales – and for those who decide to go at the last minute, tickets at the box office cost just 8 euros. But only while stocks last, of course!
Alaaf – meaning as much as au fou de partout, to fools everywhere, we greet you!
Anna-Lu Rausch
for the Cologne Team