How Myanmar's junta is using Chinese facial recognition technology

Rights groups warn high-tech surveillance systems will be used to track down and eliminate the junta's opponents.

Myanmar's military is expanding surveillance under the guise of public security

Myanmar's junta is expanding its public surveillance capabilities by using facial recognition technology, raising fresh concerns about the safety of democracy activists and resistance groups in Myanmar.

In March, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Myanmar's use of the Chinese-made facial recognition systems, warning of a "serious threat" to human rights.

HRW said hundreds of cameras were installed in townships around the capital Naypyidaw in December 2020, before the military took power in a coup, in the first phase of a security initiative called "safe city."  Cameras were also installed in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon.

Experts and activists on the ground fear that the military's increased access to this technology could have consequences for the safety of anyone opposing the junta.

A report by the Reuters news agency in July revealed that Myanmar's military government is now expanding camera surveillance systems for cities in all 14 states and divisions in the country.

The cameras, sourced from Chinese tech conglomerates Huawei, Dahua and Hikvision, are equipped with artificial intelligence technology that automatically scans faces and vehicle license plates in public places and alerts authorities to those on a wanted list.

"This is another threat coming, not just on the ground. We are now resisting a digital authoritarian regime," Thinzar Shunlei Yi, a Yangon-based activist, told DW.

Many activists hide their identity as the military tries to stamp out resistance

Myanmar's struggle for democracy

The people of Myanmar were accustomed to military rule in the past, but after a decade of progress and development, the past 18 months have left many feeling as if they are going back.

A short-lived experiment with democracy ended on February 1, 2021, when the military seized power and overthrew the democratically-elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Military commander Min Aung Hlaing then imposed a state of emergency and arrested elected leaders, including Suu Kyi.

Although the coup triggered one of the biggest pro-democracy protests in Myanmar's history, the army's response was swift and violent.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 2,100 people have been killed since the military regime took power and over 14,800 have been arrested, charged or sentenced by the junta.

The army has ignored international pressure to reinstate civilian rule and has also been tightening its grip on democracy activists and the opposition through the digital space.

By controlling the biggest telecommunication company in Myanmar, Telenor, the junta has restricted internet access and censored online content. There have also been reports that the junta has installed spyware on telecom services and internet providers to further monitor and combat online "traitors."

"We are not safe. Basically, all our information can be exposed. The junta heavily uses its digital power to spread misinformation and disinformation, as well as to detect where we are and what we are doing," said activist Yi.

HRW Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson told DW the cameras are the "epitome of intrusive surveillance," abd would allow the junta to remotely monitor, track and ultimately raid the operations of opponents.

"We expect the systems will be used to identify persons of interest, follow their movements, identify their motorcycles and cars, and ultimately follow them to resistance safe houses where junta forces can attack, arrest, and kill those opposed to the military regime," he said.

How is Myanmar's junta applying the technology?

The use of surveillance technology for security is used by governments around the world to fight crime. This is by no means confined to authoritarian regimes, and Suu Kyi's government also used Chinese-made technology before the coup.

However, in the domestic political context of Myanmar, HRW argues that the junta is applying this technology to strengthen its hold on power.

Robertson explained a narrative of "safe cities" was used but in reality this was "designed to hide rights abusing, intrusive surveillance behind the excuse of crime fighting."

And the impact of the junta's surveillance can already be seen across Myanmar: "We see an increasing number of arrests every day, especially in our strike committees," said activist Yi.

"Apart from that, it has become more difficult to organize a large strike in different urban areas," she added.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has vowed to eliminate resistance to military rule in Myanmar

Yi has been in hiding from the junta since the military cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in spring 2021. Despite the brutal force and increased use of surveillance tools by the junta, which she said was a prime way of commiting crimes with impunity, she predicted that the struggle would continue.

"They might kill revolutionaries, but not the revolutionary spirit. As long as the junta is attempting to rule the nation, the resistance forces will keep on going," she said.

Calls for international support

Since the junta executed four activists, calls have grown for the international community to cut off the military from oil and gas revenue flows, and other sources of income.

"Democratic countries need to be united. We are all here watching it, reporting it and then what? The people in Myanmar cannot stop it, yet," said Yi.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn 

The ugly truth about Nigeria's child trafficking

The trafficking of children in Nigeria for domestic service, sex work and forced surrogacy is rampant and lucrative. DW talks to two children about the horrors of their experiences.

Human trafficking of children remains a huge problem in Nigeria

Timipriye says her uncle's wife told her that they wanted to take her with them to Lagos, where she'd be taken care of and sent to university. 

"With so many promises, I was very, very excited," she says, shyly, telling her story for the first time. "I immediately said I wanted to go with them."

At the time, Timipriye was 16 and living Nigeria's south, in a rural village about 350 kilometers (210 miles) from the bustling commercial capital, Lagos. 

Her life at home was hard. Her parents struggled to provide enough food for Timipriye and her 10 siblings and were quick to agree to her move. 

Broken promises

Timipriye falls silent — for a long, long time. When she starts talking again, her words tumble over each other in her effort to get them out.

What has happened since was nothing like what she was promised, she says. 

Instead of attending school, she wakes now at 3 a.m., her days passing in a blur of domestic chores and babysitting her uncle's triplets. 

She gobbles down her food to avoid getting in trouble for loafing — she fears the punishment. Once when she didn't get out of the car quickly enough, her aunt slammed the car door on her hand. Despite the excruciating pain in her fingers, that evening she still had to wash the triplets' clothes by hand.

To add to the horror of Timipriye's life in Lagos, she is sexually abused by her uncle. He barges in on her while she is bathing and enters her room late at night. 

"Even when I try to stop it by locking my door inside before I sleep, it was a problem because he then starts treating me badly and then told me I shouldn't ever lock the door when I'm sleeping," Timipriye says. 

"Every night before I sleep, I always cry and wet my pillow," she says, adding that she can't even ring her parents to tell them what is happening because she doesn't have a phone, or the money, to make a call. 

Child trafficking rampant

Timipriye, who has been working for her uncle's family for four years now, is a victim of child trafficking. 

That is when children and young people are tricked, forced or persuaded to leave their homes, and are then moved somewhere and exploited for someone else's gain. 

In Nigeria, children make up the largest group of trafficking victims. They are trafficked for many reasons, from domestic service like Timipriye to sexual exploitation, being used as child soldiers, forced begging, organ harvesting and even forced surrogacy in "baby farms" where they are impregnated and made to give birth.

Trafficking is a long-running problem in Nigeria: Activists held this protest march in 2017

Of the people trafficked in Nigeria, the highest proportion are girls between the ages of 12 and 17.  

The vast majority, like Timipriye, are transported within Nigeria. 

Whether someone moves 10 kilometers from one community to another, or thousands of kilometers to another continent, the "common denominator" for human trafficking is "exploitation," says Daniel Atokolo, Nigeria's National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons. 

Though international organizations largely agree that Nigeria has improved its efforts to tackle trafficking, the scope of the problem is still enormous. 

Almost 1.4 million individuals were living in modern slavery in Nigeria in 2018, according to an estimate by the Walk Free Foundation, an international human rights group that publishes a global slavery index. 

Tricked by a trusted adult

As is the case with Timipriye, it is often relatives, friends or trusted community members who either directly exploit trafficked children, or who procure the child for someone else.

Poverty is seen as the root cause of making children vulnerable to trafficking. 

Recruiters are most likely to approach "the poorest and most vulnerable" and the "illiterate and psychologically weak" finds a study by the Pathfinders Justice Initiative, an organization working with Nigerian trafficking survivors.

Few convictions

These recruiters are seldom caught. The 2021 Trafficking in Persons report for Nigeria, compiled by the US government, reports only 36 convictions of traffickers. 

The failure to hold traffickers to account means that the few survivors who manage to escape often still live in fear of violence, or fear of their families being harmed, if their traffickers find them. 

This is the case with Ivie, who was trafficked to Italy and forced to into sex work when she was 15 after a trusted family friend promised to take her to Europe and find her a job as a babysitter and a place at a school. 

Her traffickers locked Ivie up with no food until she caved into their wishes. The International Organization for Migration estimates that 80% of the young Nigerian women who arrive in Italy are likely forced into prostitution as sex trafficking victims.

Ivie escaped after she told her story to a client who had commented that she was too young to be doing sex work. He connected her with Catholic nuns who helped her escape and eventually return to Nigeria. 

Back at home, Ivie's nightmare isn't over. She lives in constant fear as the trafficking syndicate is hounding her and her parents, saying Ivie owes them large sums of money — in US dollars – that they spent on her travel expenses. 

Ivie now can't live with her family nor sleep at home; she constantly moves from one place to the next to avoid being found by the trafficking ring. 

No happy ending

Ivie does have a small spark of home in her life, though: Some good Samaritans are helping her learn a vocation and trying to find her place where she can stay permanently.

But she is still traumatized by her experience. Medical experts, such as Babatunde Fadipe, a psychiatrist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, say people who have been victims of human trafficking can experience a wide range of psychological problems from anger to anxiety and depression. 

As for Timipriye, she is too scared to leave her uncle's family. He is a lawyer and a powerful person, she says. 

She met with DW in secret at a neighbor's house while her aunt and uncle were away, summoning up the courage to share her story in the hope of helping prevent other children from being trafficked. 

She also has this message for parents: "Don't entrust your child to anybody to take care of them for you." 

Canada: Global AIDS conference kicks off amid fury over visas

Canada is hosting this year's International AIDS Conference. The event has been billed as a chance for "the world to come together." However, visa issues are causing frustration for would-be attendees from Africa.

Progress has been made on the HIV/AIDS pandemic since it began in the early 80s

Philomena Gori had a lot riding on her attendance at the 24th International AIDS Conference, which kicks off in the Canadian city of Montreal on Friday. The biennial event brings together thousands of scientists, politicians, activists and social workers from around the world to find solutions to the epidemic.

The 32-year-old, a social worker for people affected by AIDS in Cameroon, had taken time off from her current job and spent around $2,000 (€1,965) applying to the conference, securing accommodation and collecting the necessary documents for a visa. 

Her hope was to gain vital connections and know-how in order to help her found a new HIV charity in her home country of Kenya.

But on July 22 — 88 days after she submitted her visa application — a rejection letter landed in her inbox. She was being denied entry, with no time to react.

"I am so disappointed, I am so angry right now," she told DW in a video call. "I sacrificed a lot, I gave a lot of effort to attend and be able to give back to my community.

"In Africa, we are the ones being affected mostly by these diseases, and I was expecting them to give us more opportunities. I feel like it's because we are coming from African countries."

Philomena Gori spent around $2,000 applying for the conference

Canadian authorities under pressure

Gori is not the only one in this situation. Organizers fear that hundreds of other delegates from Africa, Asia and South America are still waiting for, or have already been denied, visitor visas.

The situation has been turning into a scandal. The AIDS 2022 conference, organized by the International AIDS Society (IAS), had been billed as a chance to "call the world to come together to reengage and follow the science." 

But a day before the event was set to begin, the International AIDS Society (IAS) released a statement saying it was "deeply concerned by the high number of denied and pending visas by Canadian authorities."

"This is preventing many people from some of the countries most affected by HIV from entering Canada and attending AIDS 2022, including IAS staff and leadership."

African voices most needed

According to the World Health Organization, Africa is home to more than two-thirds of the global population living with HIV, the virus that progresses into AIDS.

Sam W. Pionlay is one of the delegates invited by the conference but denied a visa by Canada

That is why Sam W. Pionlay, 26, shares the concern about a global AIDS conference taking place with many voices from Africa missing.

Originally from Liberia, he is studying computer sciences in Morocco. He continues to advocate for young people, including those with HIV and AIDS, at home.

With an invitation from the IAS and sponsorship from a Delaware church, he was aiming to travel to the conference to present a paper on violence and HIV prevention for young people and sex workers. 

His rejection arrived on July 19, with the Canadian authorities stating in a letter that they were not "satisfied" that he would leave Canada and return to Morocco at the end of his trip. 

"It just doesn't make any sense," Pionlay told DW. "My work helping young people is here in Africa, I will be finishing my degree next year, why would I stay in Canada?

"This year's conference should have been an opportunity for Africans to participate. I'm really disappointed in Canada as a whole. I'm feeling frustrated."

Canada 'a difficult choice'

The visa difficulties have led to criticism of the choice of host country. David Ndikumana, Executive Director of the WEKA Organisation, which provides support to LGBTQ minorities and people with AIDS in the Democratic Republic of Congo, argued that such conferences should take place in countries that are more accessible.

David Ndikumana is critical of the choice of Canada as a host country

His organization received two invites to the conference but had yet to receive a response about visa applications. "I think what Canada is doing is a kind of discrimination," he told DW. He added that his group wrote a letter asking why only Canada is organizing this international conference. "Why not allow other countries?"

Ken Monteith, director general of Quebec AIDS charity COCQ-SIDA, also saw problems: "It certainly seems like Canada is a difficult choice on this issue," he wrote in an email. "We do have to bear in mind that there are populations that have difficulty obtaining visas for many countries in the north and the south."

IAS President Adeeba Kamarulzaman told DW that Canada was chosen after negotiations with a "middle-income" country were ended over attempts to influence the conference program. 

"Delayed and denied visas affect our ability to host a truly inclusive conference that is representative of communities most affected by HIV. The Conference Organizing Committee has escalated its concerns to the highest levels so that as many people who wish to attend AIDS 2022 are able to do so," she wrote.

Canada 'understands disappointment'

In an email to DW, Aidan Strickland, press secretary for Canada's Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said applications from around the world were "assessed equally and against the same criteria."

"We understand the disappointment that would result from some applicants not receiving their visas in time for the International AIDS Conference. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has taken every measure available to expedite as much as possible the processing of applications and facilitate travel for this event."

She added that IRCC had processed 91% of all applications received. A processed application can mean either an acceptance or rejection.

Strickland also pointed out that visa processing times can vary.

'If it's done in Africa, I will go'

Despite the furor over visas, there are still high hopes that the conference will lead to improved solutions for combating HIV and AIDS, especially given the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those unable to attend the conference in person do have the opportunity to participate in certain events online.

Philomena Gori intends to take part in some virtual events, and plans to launch her charity as soon as possible. She also hopes one day to have the chance to take part in a similar conference much closer to home.

"If it's done in Africa, I will go. It will be much easier for me to attend."

Pan-African campaign launched to promote climate justice ahead of COP27

Ahram Online , Friday 29 Jul 2022

Pan-African social agency, Crtve DEVELOPMENT (CD), launched the WE!ARE initiative to build a pan-African voice on climate justice ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) slated for November in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

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The WE!ARE movement aims to inspire young people across the continent to share their vision of the Africa they want to see and voice the climate justice demands of their communities through creative mediums, a statement by the CD said on Friday.

The movement is championed by emerging and established creatives, policymakers, designers, visual artists, auditory artists and community leaders across Africa.

Collectively, the WE!ARE champions and supporters of the movement will shape the broader narrative of climate justice and centre important policy issues for the respective communities and nations leading into COP27 and beyond, according to the statement.

"With COP27 poised to take place in Egypt in November 2022, there has never been a better time for the continent to raise its voice in climate discourse. While contributing the least to climate change, the African continent is the hardest hit by the global climate crisis," the CD's statement added.

It is estimated that up to 118 million impoverished people will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa by 2030 if adequate response measures are not put in place, the statement added, citing Josefa Sacko, the AU commissioner for rural economy and agriculture.

The agency warned that those with the least capacity to cope and adapt to these impacts of climate change will face the most significant threat. 

Okito Wedi, founder and CEO of Crtve DEVELOPMENT, said despite the profound repercussions of climate change on the African citizens, climate justice remains one of the least understood and socialised policy themes in contemporary African development.

"Through the WE!ARE campaign, we want to harness the power of art and creativity to change the narrative on climate change and development in Africa and bridge the gap between communities who will most be affected and policymakers who will determine our climate future," he added.

To further highlight the importance of climate justice in Africa, Crtve DEVELOPMENT, in partnership with Africa No Filter, issued a call-out for creative participation in WE!ARE showcases that will resemble climate justice under the theme of "The Africa We Want To See."

Creative hubs in participating countries were invited to apply for grants to curate pop-up showcases and creative installations as well as the execution of three workshops using art and creativity as a tool for social change in local communities. 

Following a rigorous selection process, five hubs were selected in Egypt, South Africa, Mozambique and Nigeria, respectively, the statement added.

In Egypt, Perform Arts, which provides a training and educational service for performance arts, will organise a showcase focusing on maritime pollution and the disappearance of shorelines near Alexandria consisting of a photography exhibition in the Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria.

Music and singing will be integrated with storytelling to describe the environmental impact on human life, the CD added.

In preparation for the showcases, which will kick off in September 2022, all creative hubs will attend online and in-person training workshops to equip them with practical advice on climate-related policy education, community participation and media skills development.

Egypt has vowed to speak for the continent's aspirations in addressing the impacts of climate change at the COP27.

Egypt and the African Union are seeking to develop a unified vision for energy transformation in the continent ahead of COP27.

Hopes are pinned on COP27 to turn climate-related pledges into action to help facilitate the move to green energy in order to reduce harmful gas emissions and adapt to climate change as per the Paris Agreement.

The Paris Agreement – adopted at COP21 and signed by over 190 states including Egypt – came into effect in 2016 with the aim of limiting the rise in temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Climate finance has been debated at every COP meeting since as developed countries have failed to meet their promise to mobilise $100 billion annually by 2020 to help developing nations with mitigation and adaptation measures.

Africa produces no more than three percent of the world’s total greenhouse-gas emissions that cause global warming, according to experts.

Fathy Salama, Mahmoud El-Tohamy to hold a ‘Sufism vs Modernism’ concert

Ahram Online , Saturday 30 Jul 2022

Egyptian Grammy-winning music producer Fathy Salama and some members of his band Sharkiat will reunite with Islamic Sufi chanter Mahmoud El-Tohamy and a number of his musicians in another “Sufism vs Modernism” concert.

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The project — which aims to revive Islamic heritage in a new approach — will be introduced in a performance scheduled for Sunday 7 August at the Cairo Opera House’s Open Theatre.

The concert’s repertoire will include new arrangements for the pair’s known songs, including Qamarun, El-Burda, Umm El-Khier, Waggeh Fouadak Lel-Elah, Zedny Befart El-Hob, and Ana Moghram Behawah.

The godfather of many first-row indie bands and musicians, Salama — who played a vital role in shaping mainstream pop in the 1970s and 1980s — has paid special attention to traditional Islamic music since he formed Sharkiat in the 1980s and won a Grammy and a BBC award for another Sufi project with Senegalese music icon Youssou N’Dour.

The son of the famous Sufi chanter Sheikh Yassin El-Tohamy, Mahmoud mastered the deep-rooted Islamic musical art from early childhood, following in his father’s footsteps. He is also the founder of the Egyptian Association of Religious Hymns and Litanies, as well as the Prince Taz Palace School of Chanting and Music in Cairo.

The internationally acclaimed duo are reuniting in the Sufism vs Modernism Project, which was first launched in February 2018 before being developed in a few concerts in Cairo and Abu Dhabi.

Programme:
Sunday 7 August, 8pm
Open Theatre, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek

New orchestra goes on tour on Ukraine's 'cultural front'

AFP , Saturday 30 Jul 2022

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the air raid sirens disrupt Svyatoslav Yanchuk's concerts, forcing musicians and audience members to seek refuge underground.

Musicians from the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra lead by conductor Kerii-Lynn Wilson take part in a rehearsal in Warsaw Opera before their international tour, July 28, 2022 (Photo: AFP)

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"When the alarm stops, we can return to the stage. When it lasts more than an hour, the concert is called off," said Yanchuk, a percussionist with the Odessa Philharmonic.

"It happens almost every concert," he said.

But in August, Yanchuk will finally be able to play without interruptions on an international trip with the newly created Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra.

Along with dozens of other musicians, Yanchuk will be on a tour of Europe and the United States, which started in Warsaw this week and will include the Proms in London on Sunday.

The orchestra, assembled from musical ensembles in Ukraine and Europe, is the brainchild of Canadian conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, whose grandparents were from Ukraine.

Wilson was in Warsaw when the war broke out.

"As I witnessed the refugees streaming into Poland, I had a dream of uniting Ukrainian musicians in an artistic force to help them fight for their freedom," she said.

The project quickly took shape with the support of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw and Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Russian music 'on hold'

Despite never having played together before, the orchestra came up with a concert programme in just 10 days.

The concert starts with Ukrainian composer Valentyn Sylvestrov's Symphony No. 7 -- a homage to the victims of the war.

There is "no Russian music", according to orchestra members, whose lives and careers have been turned upside down by the war.

"Russia has geniuses but whatever comes from Russian culture is on hold for the moment," said bassoon player Mark Kreshchenskiy.

Kreshchenskiy and his brother Dmytro, a violist, played for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in Russia for eight years and were there when the invasion began.

"We left Russia in the first days of the invasion. It was hard but there was no other decision to take," Kreshchenskiy told AFP.

The two brothers fled to neighbouring Estonia, carrying their instruments.

Ukraine has stopped all fighting-age men from leaving the country under martial law in case they have to be drafted, but some orchestra members have temporary permission to do so.

"I was able to see my 10-year-old daughter again after five months of separation because she is a pupil at the Gdansk Opera" in northern Poland, said Dmytro Ilin, from the Kyiv Philharmonic.

Once the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra tour is over, Ilin will return to Kyiv -- along with percussionist Yevgen Ulyanov, whose son was born when the war broke out.

"My son is waiting for me," he said.

'Cultural front'

Like many of their colleagues, Ilin and Ulyanov want to continue practising their craft in their native country.

"I have the feeling that we are soldiers of music because we are doing our best at the cultural front," said Nazar Stets, a double bass player and Kyiv resident.

Stets is particularly keen on the Ukrainian repertoire, saying: "It's now the time to play even more Ukrainian music".

"If we don't play our Ukrainian music, nobody will," he said.

Asked if music could really be a weapon, Ilin said: "Since childhood, music has been what we do. We have to act in one way or another".

Vampires of the modern times: Italian Etoile Ballet Theater in Egypt

Nevine Lamei, Friday 29 Jul 2022

In their first visit to Egypt, the Italian company Etoile Ballet Theater performs Vampiri at the Cairo and Alexandria Opera House.

Ballet in two acts and eleven scenes, Vampiri (Vampires) stages a total of four performances taking us to the misadventures of Dorian (Walter Angelini), a young boy, and Ambrosia (Ines Albertini), the seductive queen of vampires who gains the attention and emotions of Dorian, her new victim.

Written and choreographed by Albertini and Angelini, the artistic directors and principal dancers of the Etoile Ballet Theatre, Vampiri premiered in Italy and was then staged internationally. 

The ballet’s story is soaked in many emotions which are at the base of movement that relies on supple, elegant and graceful sensitivity, topped with passionate and energetic scenes.

All is packaged to pieces taken from the classical music repertoire,  Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, alongside composers such as Karl Jenkins and others.

Through their dance, Ines Albertini and Walter Angelini ask numerous questions such as: Is love between a human and a vampire possible? The answer comes through the choreography.

This is not the first creative encounter of the pair, also a married couple. They both worked as artistic directors and principal dancers of the US International Ballet (2017 – 2020) before they founded their own company Etoile Ballet Theatre in September 2020.

The repertoire of the latter, with innovative neo-classical and contemporary choreographies, fuses theatrical work on the characters and role-playing. The performances are suitable for the audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds.

The same approach characterises the company’s previous productions such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Scheherazade, Snow Maiden, The Seasons of Love, etc.

Appearing several centuries ago, and perhaps even several millennia, the myth of the vampire continues to incite a dosage of anxiety of the finest minds. Their presence in theatre, films or a dance work is often accompanied with images of blood.

The dramaturgy of Vampiri is inspired by the story of Elizabeth Bathory, nicknamed The Bloody Countess, and Count Dracula. This powerful fantasy drama, Vampiri opens with Ambrosia bathing in the blood of her victims, feeding on psychic energy, to feel rejuvenated and beautiful. The scene is followed by the vampires arrival on stage which projects the magic evoking a classic feel of the Eastern European Renaissance era.

The viewer sees in Ambrosia the evil influence that she exercises on those around her. She does so with lighting underscoring the blood red color setting background to a number of dance pieces, such as tango and the dance of love.

Based in Piacenza, Italy, the Etoile Ballet Theater resides at the Piacenza Art Ballet, in a 400 m2 building, dedicated solely to dance. The company brings together professional ballet dancers from different nationalities, many of them being graduates of the companies training programme. It is through those trainings that Albertini and Angelini work on improving and perfecting the dancers’ technique.

The company keeps welcoming new dancers for its upcoming shows.