Landmark Swiss-Mongolian dance production challenges gender stereotypes
Local news,
03.12.2015
A cutting edge production combining dance, music and video art that explores different perceptions of gender equality is the first such Swiss-Mongolian collaborative performance to be staged in Mongolia.
“Aquafire”, an Arts Council of Mongolia production to be held on December 24 at the Corporate Hotel and Convention Centre in Ulaanbaatar, examines patriarchy, democracy and gender equality through the eyes of both men and women, and challenges the gender stereotypes associated with national cultural identity.
Lending their talents to the landmark production are dancer and choreographer Odbayar Batsuuri, who is a member of the Chicago-based Hedwig Dances ensemble, composer Purevsukh Tyeliman, film-maker Ikhbayar Shagdarsuren, Swiss trumpet player Matthieu Michel and American stage and lighting designer Barry Steele. The performance features three parts, “Fire Dreamed of Aqua”, “Aqua Falls in Love with Fire” and “Aquafire”, set to live music and backed with video art.
In conjunction with the performance, the Arts Council of Mongolia will host an Artsee talk series on gender equality and stereotypes with the production team, a gender-equality activist and other professionals on December 17 at the Corporate Hotel.
Press releases,
11.11.2015
ULAANBAATAR —The World Bank and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) today launched a US$3 million project to boost social accountability in Mongolia in the next four years.
SDC in partnership with the World Bank launched a project to support social accountability in Mongolia.
The Mainstreaming Social Accountability in Mongolia (MASAM) project seeks to support government efforts to increase transparency and accountability, and give impoverished communities a greater voice on issues affecting them.
“The project builds on years of innovating and experimenting on social accountability in Mongolia by citizens and government bodies, and follows last year’s Glass Account Law that we consider an enabling legal reform for transparency,” said James Anderson, the World Bank Mongolia Country Manager.
“Through MASAM, we hope to facilitate concerted action around institutionalizing social accountability at all levels.”
MASAM will focus on building skills and capacities of citizens and civil society groups in poor and vulnerable regions of Mongolia, and working with local governments to enable sustained outcomes throughout the project.
“We believe that civil society and citizens have an important role to play in strengthening the accountability of public officials, reducing corruption and improving public service delivery,” said Markus Waldvogel, Director of Cooperation of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
“This project will encourage citizens and civil society to exercise their rights to do so.”
The MASAM project will be implemented over four years in 10 aimags and districts of the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. It will benefit poor and marginalized groups by involving them in social accountability processes, empowering them to hold public officials accountable for improving the quality, access and delivery of services in their communities.
The participating aimags and districts will be selected according to poverty rates, health-related risks and access to education, as well as the commitment by local governments to implementation.
At the national policy level, the project will work with the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet Secretariat to institutionalize social accountability measures in formalized and sustainable ways.
