The Puppet Power 2007 Conf-erence opens in Calgary next Friday. On Wednesday we fly from Montreal to Calgary to participate. This year's conference theme is 'Puppets as Agents for Social Change'. This has always been a subject close to my heart. One of the things I'll be discussing is how puppetry is used to reach out and touch people across the globe, in often profound ways, to create transformation in their lives. The puppet allows difficult issues to be discussed in a safe and often light-hearted way, which opens people up and gives them the ability to accept messages from puppets, which are often too difficult for their human counterparts to tackle. The perfect example of this was in dealing with HIV-Aids, politics, corruption and many other tough social and politically sensitive issues. Today in our workshops, we use the puppet to help people express stories from their own lives, often personal issues, which need closure and this is achieved through the puppet being another step removed from the real world of our everyday lives. See you in Calgary!
The photo is from Puppets Against Aids, taken on tour in Southern Africa in 1990.
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