Youth initiative reinforces resilience to extremism through music, arts, theatre

AMMAN — The Talaqi Youth Initiative on Sunday held its closing ceremony at the Royal Cultural Centre where youth from six governorates showcased musical and theatrical performances under the motto “Enhancing Resilience to Extremism”.

The initiative, which is sponsored by the European Union, was launched by the Ministry of Culture in November 2017 under the title “Technical Assistance to Support the Efforts of the Government of Jordan to Prevent Violent Extremism”, with the aim of addressing radicalisation trends and disengagement among citizens by encouraging music, fine arts, theatre and social media. 

Workshops and activities were conducted in local cultural centres in Irbid, Maan, Mafraq, Zarqa, Karak and Salt, with a total of 800 participants between the ages of 13 and 22 years old. 

Talaqi’s head of Cultural Direction in Maan, Youssef Saeed Shamri, told The Jordan Times about the introduction of theatre, fine arts and music in his governorate:

“In Maan, we live in a closed society and these initiatives could have caused a negative reaction, but we were able to convey that the purpose of this initiative is to live together in peace and to improve the students’ capabilities”. 

He noted that some of the parents who were first reluctant to let their children join later “regretted that decision” after they found out that the programme "cultivates  positive energy, acceptance and communication with others”.

The closing ceremony constituted the “final act” of the students and mentors who worked on their piece weekly for the past three months. 

“I was shocked to see the performances today, so much improvement can be seen in the students who have so many success stories,” said Iman Hassan, a member of Talaqi’s organising team. 

The performances ranged from beatboxing and singing to theatrical play in a venue packed with parents, fellow students, Culture Minister Nabih Shuqum, and EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana. 

“The European Union is pleased to integrate this initiative in its support to the Jordanian Government against violent radicalisation.  Youth is today’s hope for the future of Jordan. Culture encourages social inclusion, promotes intercultural dialogue, mutual understanding and helps fighting and preventing radicalisation, prejudice, fanatic and xenophobic behaviours,” Fontana said in a statement. 

Talaqi also launched a media contest where students were encouraged to produce short films, public services announcements, documentaries, or animations with a positive impact.

Natali Soumbouloglou, a senior at the SAE Institute in Amman, received first place for her short film “Belle” which conveyed the message of “accepting oneself".

“When you accept yourself, you can accept everyone else,” said 20-year-old Soumbouloglou.

“Now that I’ve won, I’ll do anything in my ability to support people who are afraid to join competitions because I too was afraid at first, telling myself I’ll never win. But I want people to go out there and try their luck and see what happens,” she concluded.

Students from Petra University, Yarmouk University and Middle East University took part in the contest.