Source: Qantara
By: Susanne Kappe
In the “Koran School” theatre project at the National Theatre of Mannheim, theatregoers get to know places and people in their town that they’re unlikely to have had much contact with before. Susanne Kappe reports
It’s an intensive course on Islam and migration in Germany – a hands-on, interactive experience. A Koran diploma in sixteen lessons? Maybe not that, but the evening certainly does provide a significant insight into the everyday life of Muslims in Germany.
‘Koran School’, the title of the project, might for some theatregoers initially evoke unpleasant associations. But this is something the project organizers are consciously playing with. The idea is for people to let themselves in for things they’re not used to; to challenge their preconceptions. There is, of course, an additional educational aspect, and that’s why the piece is structured into lessons.
Different subjects are addressed in different locations, like individual teaching units. The aim is for non-Muslims to overcome their reservations in dealing with Muslims. For the Muslims whose voices are the piece, education is an important element of their faith: they themselves once had to read about what it means to be a Muslim and form their own opinion on the subject.