Listen to my story

On the occasion of World Disability Day, on Tuesday 3 December at 18.00, liminal, in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC), offers a workshop that aims to cultivate empathy, breaking down prejudices and stereotypes about disability: ‘Listen to my story – A Living Library for Disability‘.

In the context of the human library, four artists with disabilities share personal stories and invite the audience to an honest dialogue around issues they may be reluctant to ask.

In a library with a marble floor bathed in morning light, a group of women in spring clothes walk along the shelves with books in the background. Among them is a young woman walking with her white cane holding the arm of another woman to her left.

What is a Human Library?

The human library is an action that started in Denmark. It is a library where instead of books there are people. Each human ‘book’ has a title and the reader chooses the ‘book’ that will tell his or her story. The reading is interactive, with questions and answers, always respectful, without judgements or prejudice.

In our human library the “living books” are disabled artists who are often treated by the rest of society with prejudice, stereotypes and social exclusion.

In the space of a large library with a multitude of books on the shelves, three people with their backs to us have their arms outstretched and are pointing upwards.

Speakers

Melani Zachariadi, a student and visual artist, shares stories and experiences that offer a glimpse into her own world as a person on the autism spectrum and art as a means of personal expression.

Demy Papathanasiou, a disabled (crip) dancer/choreographer, mechanical engineer, tells how she discovered dance at an older age. Despite her physical disability, she embraced dance expression and found a new way to create, showcasing the power and freedom that dance can offer.

Andreas Plemmenos, a special education theatrologist, writer, who belongs to the C/deaf community, shares his experience. What everyday life is like between the two worlds, the Deaf and the hearing.

Christina Sarri, psychologist, author, speaker and content creator on blindness issues, narrates experiences from her everyday life and her action on informing the public about the independent living of blind people.

Useful information about the event

Day: Tuesday 3 December 2024 Start time: 18.00 Duration: 120’ Venue: Book Tower, on the ground floor of the EBE, in the SNFCC.

The event will be simultaneously interpreted in the Greek Sing Language.

Free admission

Production: liminal

For your convenience, you can register by sending an email with the title “World Disability Day – Listen to my story to [email protected] or by phone at 216 8091000.

All spaces of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre are accessible to people with disabilities. For more information click here.

The event is made possible thanks to the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).