L’ACQUA è VITA – WATER IS LIFE
“L’ACQUA è VITA – WATER IS LIFE”
Panel and Artist Talk on Water & Spirituality, Music & Ecology of the Mediterranean Region.
In a conversation with moderator Jenny Langner, Francesca Tarocco (Università Ca’ Foscari, Venice) and Kerstin Schlögl-Flierl (University of Augsburg) explore the question of which ethical principles can guide us in our daily use of water. The question of an ethics of water is posed from different cultural perspectives. Water is a central resource and thus access to water is often of a socio-political explosive nature. Topics such as divisional justice, but also water spirituality in different region of the world will be discussed.
The second part of the panel, with the Italian musician Mauro Durante of the group Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino and the Moroccan musician Alaa Zouiten, explores musical developments in the Mediterranean region, the sometimes startling affinities between the music, spirituality and culture of North Africa and Southern Europe.
The tarantella music of southern Italy and the gnawa music of Morocco have interesting parallels; both spiritual music genres have their origins in night-long ceremonies with trance-like rhythms and songs that serve to heal, in Italy from the bite of the tarantula, in Morocco from the bite of the scorpion. Both animals are mystical-ritual symbols for unresolved psychological conflicts. The Tarantella has roots in ancient Greek and Roman culture and has been shaped by various Mediterranean influences over time. Gnawa music, in turn, has its origins in sub-Saharan West Africa. The musical currents of Andalusia and flamenco are also addressed in relation to its origins in the culture of the Roma and Sinti, Arabic and Jewish music.
Contributors:
The actress Jenny Langner has been in front of the camera for film and television since 2012 and also works as a speaker and presenter. She has been engaged at the Staatstheater Augsburg since the 2020 /21 season.
Francesca Tarocco
is Professor of Buddhist Studies and Chinese Religion at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, where she also directs the Center for Environmental Humanities.
Kerstin Schlögl-Flierl
is a professor of moral theology at the University of Augsburg and a member of the German Ethics Council.
Mauro Durante
entcomes from a long-established family of musicians in Puglia and is a musician, composer and bandleader of the Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, one of the leading musical ensembles in Southern Italy.
Musician, curator and scholar of transcultural music Alaa Zouiten is from Morocco and lives in Berlin. He is a master of the oud, the Arabic lute.
The event will be held partly in English. Admission is free. Seat reservations are recommended at welterbe.veranstaltungen@augsburg.de
In case of rain the Panel & Artist Talk will take place at max neu(n)
The ensemble of three water towers at the Red Gate is probably the oldest known waterworks in Central Europe. Since about 1416 it supplied the city with drinking water. His pumping systems were admired technical devices throughout Europe and existed for over four and a half centuries until 1880.
Before the event there is a possibility to participate in a guided tour of the water towers. The tours take place around 17:30. Pre-registration requested under welterbe.veranstaltungen@augsburg.de
During the day there will be an International Workshop on Water Ethics and Water Spirituality, the 1st Augsburg Water Symposium, organized by the University of Augsburg, Wissenschaftszentrum Umwelt in cooperation with the World Heritage Office and the Water and Sound Festival.