The ŻiguŻajg International Arts Festival for children and young people

A celebration of the Performing Arts… and more

Preparations for the eighth edition of the ŻiguŻajg International Arts Festival for children and young people are in full swing as the opening date approaches.

This year’s festival offers audiences young and old myriad productions celebrating many aspects of the performance arts, including theatre, puppetry, music, dance, film, opera and workshops. With a number of Maltese productions on the roster and performances from companies from Norway, France, Ireland, Spain, the UK, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Austria and Canada, ŻiguŻajg 2018 truly promises to be an international event.

Yet the festival is not merely about the performing arts. This year’s programme includes two projects (PlayGround and iLand) performed by groups of teens who have received extensive professional training to reach the performative standards expected at the Festival. Besides, Maltese director and theatre practitioner JeanMarc Cafa’, iLand’s director, was mentored by two international directors from the UK and the Netherlands on best practices when producing work for children and young people.

The festival is also working with its partners to implement an eco-friendly strategy and raise awareness with audiences and in the creative sector on the importance of an environmentally sustainable plan. To this end, ERA, the Environment and Resources Authority, is participating in a European project involving the monitoring of air quality by schools. This project will be launched in November and ŻiguŻajg and ERA will be collaborating to promote this initiative and showcase a selection of artworks created by schoolchildren on the theme.

Furthermore, as has been the case over the years, ŻiguŻajg would not be possible without the contribution of the 50 or so assistants who help the festival run like clockwork. If anyone is interested to be a part of this year’s team, ŻiguŻajg is inviting potential volunteers to contact them.

These initiatives strengthen ŻiguŻajg’s reputation for being strong in artistic quality while scoring high in Eu- ropean and international engagement and community involvement, as recognised by the European Festivals Association (EFFE). ŻiguŻajg is produced by Fondazzjoni Kreattività and will run from 16 to 25 November. For tickets and more information visit www.ziguzajg.org