Humanity Is Responsibility

I learned that I was not responsible for the narcissus
Snow may fall indifferently, a bitter frost may set in
It may last long, bad things may happen
The narcissus may not awaken

Do not ask about the shoot, nor the branch, nor the bud
My mind is broken
(…)

I was responsible for the narcissus, for the shoot and for the children
Was I wrong to learn it so: being human is responsibility.

Gülten Akın

Gülten Akın’s lines brings to the fore one of the fundamental questions of being human: Why, for whom, and to what extent are we responsible? In the poem, the narcissus is not merely a flower; it is an image of fragile life that must be protected, of spring, hope, children, and possibilities yet to be realized. The poet shows how, amid destruction and profound uncertainty, the human sense of responsibility is shaken. Snow may fall indifferently, a bitter frost may set in, bad things may happen; the narcissus may not awaken. Yet none of these possibilities absolves us of responsibility. On the contrary, the meaning of being human lies precisely in recognizing this fragility, turning toward it, and refusing to remain indifferent to it.

Today, the world faces multilayered social and ecological challenges that require us to rethink the relationships through which we share life and responsibility. The climate crisis, ecological destruction, poverty, discrimination, social polarization, the isolating effects of the digital age, threats to the safety of children and young people, the erasure of cultural memory, and the erosion of the sense of justice continually put humanity’s shared space of life to the test. In such an age, responsibility cannot be understood merely as an individual virtue or a moral choice. Responsibility is the foundation of the relationships we establish with the living conditions of others, with nature, with children, with future generations, with different identities, with other languages, other forms of suffering, and other hopes.

The line “Humanity Is Responsibility” is therefore not merely an ethical proposition; it is also a political, educational, artistic, and existential call. This call invites us to look beyond our own boundaries. It asks us to consider that we are responsible not only for ourselves, our own communities, our own geographies, or our own safe spaces, but also for all forms of existence that may seem distant from us yet, in truth, bind our lives together.

Drama and theatre education is one of the fields in which this call can be explored most powerfully. Theatre and drama bring people face to face not only intellectually, but also bodily, emotionally, and relationally. Performance space is a living space of encounter in which people look at one another, hear one another, and must acknowledge one another’s presence. In this space, responsibility ceases to be an abstract concept; it becomes visible in the gaze, the voice, distance, contact, role, action, and choice.

Drama and theatre are founded on reciprocity. One performer’s action elicits another’s response; one role affects another; the position of one body on stage changes the space in which other bodies can move. For this reason, drama and theatre do not merely speak about responsibility; they make it possible to experience it. Through different roles, conflicts, and fictional situations, participants and audiences confront questions such as: “What would I do if I were in this position?”, “What does it mean to be in someone else’s place?”, “Is inaction also a choice?”, and “Can another future be built together?”

This confrontation lies at the heart of the transformative power of theatre and drama. Drama and theatre do not merely represent existing reality; they also open a space in which new possibilities can be rehearsed. Within fictional worlds, other ways of relating, other social orders, other forms of justice, and other possibilities of solidarity can be explored. In this sense, performance space is not simply a temporary world constructed on stage; it is an ethical and aesthetic laboratory that makes it possible to rethink our shared life.

The IDEA World Congress, to be held in Ankara from 20 to 25 July 2027 under the theme “Humanity Is Responsibility,” invites researchers, artists, educators, practitioners, students, and communities in the field of drama and theatre education to come together around this shared idea of responsibility. The Congress will open the concept of responsibility to discussion in the contexts of living together, human rights, ecology, children’s rights, gender, inclusion, cultural diversity, digitalization, democracy, justice, education, ethics, solidarity, and social transformation.

This theme emphasizes that drama and theatre education is not only a field of artistic expression, but also a powerful means of democratic encounter, critical thinking, ethical inquiry, and social imagination. Drama and theatre invite people not toward ready-made answers, but toward thinking together; not toward fixed judgments, but toward multiple perspectives; not toward passive observation, but toward active participation. Responsibility begins precisely here: at the moment when we become aware of another’s presence, come into contact with their story, and reconsider our own position in the face of their vulnerability.

Today, humanity is made up of communities that may imagine themselves to be living separate lives, yet remain connected to one another through the same crises, the same fears, and the same hopes. A narcissus that fails to bloom in one place diminishes the spring elsewhere as well. The safety of a child is one of the fundamental responsibilities of our shared life. An ecological or social problem experienced in one geography must be considered within the whole of our interconnected lives.

For this reason, the statement “Humanity Is Responsibility” calls us to look anew at one another, at the world, and at the future.

At the IDEA World Congress, we want to think through this call together, discuss it, enact it, investigate it, and extend it. Within the space of encounter opened by drama and theatre, we want to explore together what responsibility means and to consider our obligations toward one another, toward nature, children, memory, peace, and the future.

All human beings are responsible for one another.

Come, let us speak about this responsibility together.

Come, let us create other possibilities together.

Come, let us rethink what it means to be human within the living space of encounter that drama and theatre make possible.