FLY THE FLAG Annual Celebration of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights Returns This Year

Fly The Flag launched in 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), with artist and activist Ai Weiwei commissioned to design a flag as a symbol for Human Rights.

Since launching, hundreds of arts organisations, schools and charities have displayed the flag across the UK and creative opportunities have been programmed, whilst children and young people have learnt about and celebrated Human Rights. The flag is central to the campaign and continues to be flown, as an act of celebration, and in recognition that our Human Rights need to be defended.

Fly The Flag continues in 2022, a UK-wide collaboration between arts organisations and human rights charities. Working in partnership with The MAC, National Wales Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland and National Theatre, Lead Artist and Artistic Director of Graeae Jenny Sealey and a team of associate artists will lead a large-scale engagement project.

Throughout the summer groups of young people across the four nations in the UK took part in workshops exploring Human Rights and the right to protest. They came together to explore these issues and their work was filmed. The film captures the process and the messages they want to share.

The young participants explored the right to protest, creating work which was filmed. The resulting film will be free for everyone to watch on https://digital.fueltheatre.com/events/fly-the-flag-2022. The film will go live on 10 December and be available to watch until 31 January 2023. Alongside the film, schools and arts organisations across the UK will take part in engagement activities, promoting Human Rights and Article 20, culminating in a celebration of this work on 10th December, Human Rights Day.

Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director at Graeae said: "I despair of the world we live in and feel so sad that the litany of battles our young people want to protest against is so long. But having had the privilege of spending time with our glorious gang of protesters I feel reassured that our work is in good hands. People in power need to listen and take note of what they have to say.

Fly The Flag is a crucial opportunity bringing a diversity of young people together to share their concerns about the world they have inherited and promote active optimism that their voices should and need to be heard. The film is only a glimpse of the depth and breadth of the workshops which were led by six Associate Directors from NTW, NTS, NT and the MAC. The young people talked, created art, sang and danced, wrote text, they got angry and tearful, then happy in the knowledge that they are a collective force. The legacy of the process is now seeped into their DNA and together they will change the world. "

Groups of young people in each of the four nations of the UK were hosted by partner venues and worked with associate artists in different ways:

THE MAC

The MAC, Belfast's leading arts centre, alongside associate artists Paula Clarke and Finn Kennedy worked with a group of young people to explore the right to assemble peacefully.

The group explored human rights, and the power of protesting through drama and performance using their own lived experiences as the starting point. This included LGBTQ+ equality, asylum seekers rights, young people's right to mental health support, and the right to live without discrimination or judgement.

Through theatre and art the young people explored what it means to exercise their rights and to express their views through protests. Many of the young people attended Pride, for some of the young people this was the first protest they had attended. For the final Fly the Flag performance the young people created their own banners as well as writing and performing speeches and poetry. The performance was filmed in key locations in Belfast City Centre, which are known as locations for public protests to take place, for example Writers Square and Custom House Square. Through the performance the group explored the impact of protests being restricted as well as asserting their right to protest by delivering speeches, and chanting a poem 'Our Rights. Our Future ...'.

Paula Clarke & Finn Kennedy Associate Artists
Louise Joy Kavanagh YEHA Youth Development Worker
Sean Devlin YEHA Project Manager
Emily Moore Stage Manager
David Allan, Kristina Laverty, Trisha McMaster, Roisin McGonagle British Sign Language Interpreters and Translators

NATIONAL THEATRE

National Theatre's Fly The Flag company, led by artist Nickie Miles-Wildin came together over 3 weekends to explore and devise their response to Article 20. Exploring different physical and vocal forms of protest through movement and scene creation, the company drew on their passions for access and disability rights, climate change action, anti-racism, social and economic injustices in their devising and creation. Taking the form of a site-specific happening, their company's messages shone through powerful spoken word performance outside of the Olivier Theatre, a performed protest including handmade protest signs which moved around the outside balconies of the building, and emotional movement sequences. In this current climate of the uncertainty of protest rights, boldly and clearly their company demanded to be heard.

Nickie Miles-Wildin Associate Artist

NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND

Choreographer and facilitator Saffy Setohy, worked with dance artist Joanna Young to create a new performance celebrating the art of protest with P5 and P6 pupils from St Teresa's Primary School in North Glasgow. They ran weekly creative workshops culminating in a special performance for the local community on 17 June 2022 at the Cowlairs Labyrinth in North Glasgow. Saffy and Joanna, along with the children, revisited the labyrinth they had previously made together in derelict land by the school with their local community. This special performance brought everyone back together to celebrate this much loved space whilst ensuring that the children's voices were heard in the future of the world.

Saffy Setohy Associate Artist & Choreographer
Joanna Young Assistant Dance Artist/Choreographer
Dan Brawley Assistant Dance Facilitator
Jamie Wardrop Sound Designer
Margaret Kerr Visual Artist / Costume
Karen Forbes BSL Interpreter

The sound design and choreography have both been co-created with the children.

NATIONAL THEATRE WALES

National Theatre Wales, led by artists Rahim El Hibachi and James Williams, worked with a group of 14 young people from across Pembrokeshire. The group had a range of causes they wished to explore through Article 20, from Black Lives Matter, the Climate Crisis, access to education and issues specific to Pembrokeshire such as ocean pollution and disparities in second home ownership. James and Rahim facilitated games and conversations to help the young people choose their prospective protests as well as inviting Stand Up To Racism to talk to us about their protests and causes. The young people's creative response was to create a short piece to the cause they felt most passionately about in a site specific location in Pembrokeshire.

Rahim EL Habachi Associate Artist
James Williams Associate Artist

The engagement process was captured across the four nations of the UK by film-maker Bim Ajadi, with music by Megan Steinberg, and edited by Zak Lawrence-Earey. Previews of the film will be hosted by The Mac, National Theatre, National Theatre Scotland and National Theatre Wales in the four nations on December 8th. The film will be launched and available for free streaming on December 10th at https://digital.fueltheatre.com/events/fly-the-flag-2022

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