Bodrum mobility is a 5-day event that unites participants of WEMusic program originating from Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Palestine, Tunisia, and Turkey. “Bodrum Dans Külübu” did host this mobility in Bodrum, Turkey. In fact, this mobility represents the first major activity of the program following the focus groups that were made within each organization, and that was followed by online technical workshops, and the Tunisian mobility of WEMusic.
The main component of this mobility was the sessions and workshops that took place, mainly in
Bodrum Dans Kulübu. Essentially, these workshops were informative sequences that were initiated by introducing Erasmus+, non-formal education, and WEMusic Program. They covered both the artistic and cultural aspects of the program. As a matter of fact, certain social as well
as cultural activities were utilized as ice-breakers for the participants to get to know each other, discover their environment, as well as have an overview about the culture of the hosting country.
For instance, one of the referenced activities that was organized is one that consisted of
dividing participants into two groups that were later on assigned tasks to execute which included interacting with locals as part of learning about their folk music, food, and commonly utilized words.
The aforementioned activity enabled the participants to get informed about the raw culture of
Turkey through getting involved in the community surrounding them. On the other hand, the artistics workshops gave room to the participants’ creativity. Indeed, they were guided into learning about the skill of story telling by being divided into three groups which would each create a story then combine them to make a coherent one that follows a logical
reasoning, as well as a chronological order.
Aside from this, the intercultural mornings that occurred were like the cherry on top of this
mobility as well as it is in each Erasmus+ program. Participants wearing ethnic clothing, traditional food garnishing tables, and tight fists holding proud flags, was the static representation of the intercultural sessions, however, their flow was even more folkloric and rich. It is evident to say that these events unveiled the world of each country from the comfort of our chairs. Just as much as they were fun and festive with the warm, lyric music, they were highly informative. In fact, the participants of each country made sure to disclose the prospective social, economic, and political obstacles that are likely to hinder pursuing their interests and reaching their full potential. Both the fun and educational aspects being
met, made these events thorough and compelling. Nevertheless, the amusement was not limited to the intercultural mornings, the participating artists took this mobility far and beyond through the jam sessions.
All that was needed was a stage, a mic, and instruments for them to make some of the most brilliant and enjoyable performances. It was irresistible for the audience to echo the words and the rhythm of the performed song, making these nights the most magical and memorable. In conclusion, if we were to describe this mobility, we would definitely say that we were having the time of our lives!
Farah El Heni and Arij Jbeli
WEMusic 2023