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Southpole
As a theatre maker I came up with a plan for a journey.
A journey of a girl on a tractor.
A journey to the end of the world, and back.
But what is the end of the world?
If I was a child, I would say: the South pole!
As an adult I said: the worst war-country I can imagine.
Both voices, the one of the child and the one of the adult, said: We want to go!
Then I thought: All right, we’ll just dó that.
End of October (2008) I arrived in Cape Town, South-Africa. After more than 3,4 years and travelling over 38.000km's with the tractor and a dog. Searching for beautiful projects, initiatives and stories. Stories that give courage, that tell and prove that 'sometimes you just have to do it!'
Coming November (2009) I want to start the last leg of this epic journey to and through the 'end of the world': the South Pole expedition, with the tractor.
To create a stage voor the beautiful stories of this world, and for 'engagement'!
There's a lot that still needs to be done, and much is going on. On this website you can read my stories:
'On a tractor to the South Pole' was published by De Geus publishers in 2007.
More than 8.000 copies of this book have been sold to date!
The book can be found in Bookstores and libraries in the Netherlands (NL language only).
I'm still looking for an English publisher!
What is Southpole
Southpole is a journey by tractor.A journey through Europe, through the Balkan, and through Africa. And from South-Africa, the Cape of Good Hope, by boat to the South pole. On the South pole by tractor or on foot to the Pole itself.
Southpole, besides a journey and expedition, is also a document. Above all, Southpole wants to give attention to special projects of NGO’s. (Non Governmental Organisations like WarChild and The Hunger Project, but also small local projects..)
Initiatives which deserve attention because they show faith, courage, endurance and love.
Southpole needs media, so she can be followed, so she won’t go alone. Southpole wants to inspire, wants to involve.
'Because it's more inspiring to follow a dream to it's realisation, than to report on a set record.'
This will also give me a chance to create a platform for the inspiring people and projects I meet/visit on my way...
Above all, Southpole hopes to generate a lot of positive energy. Bring hope to a world that is more and more being run by fear.
Route
Photo: Geert Snoeijer
The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South-Africa, Cape of Good Hope, South pole.
On the tractor
Photo: Peter Rillema
The girl on the tractor is Manon Ossevoort. She studied at the Kleinkunst academy (school of cabaret-musical) AHK, in 1996. Studied dance in 1997, AHK. Received her diploma’s at the Theatre school in Amsterdam in 2002.
Diploma’s: Theatre maker/ actor, and Drama teacher. Since school Manon has worked virtually non-stop in the theatre as an actress, a dancer, and a theatremaker.
Departure
Summer 2005: start of the journey. The last day of the Oerol theatre-festival on Terschelling was the official departure.A performance, wíth the tractor, was made especially for this journey. This performance is played on different occasions during the trip. On international festivals, in villages, at projects..
A performance as a means of communication for the girl on the tractor, and a gift.
With the performance I collect dreams of people (written down on little pieces of paper). These dreams travel with me on the back of my tractor, all the way to the South Pole... Where I hope to build a big snowman with the 'dreams of the world' in it's belly.
'DO' is a poetic and slightly slapstick performance about the realization of dreams, concuerring fears, and about a developping friendship between a girl and a tractor...
It tells the story of a dream literally coming out (of the ground) looking for the courage to realize itself.
It's a symbolique story about the process in your head, from the moment you are caught by an idea, untill you choose and decide: let's do it! (or at least try;)
Test drive to Paris
Summer of 2002, by example of pre-study for her plans, Manon made a test drive on a tractor to Paris, to drink a cup of coffee under the Eiffel tower.What started as an experiment became a project enthusiastically followed by radio, television and the writing press. The journey to Paris raised money and attention for Unicef and War Child.
On the tractor through the fields, driving round and around the Arc de Triomphe, eye-to-eye with the French gendarmerie, waltzing with a eighty-year old Frenchman and his chicken, smoking a cigarette with an Arabic sheik in his limousine on the camping in Bois du Boulogne, and bumping into a legion of about 400 children on 25 tractors..
Egypt
"As a child I’ll get on a tractor and drive all the way to the Southpole.
As an adult I’ll make sure I come home safe."
Southpole is looking for sponsors to help her travel!
Southpole seeks Media to follow the journey so she can involve and inspire!
The St. Trektor foundation was set up in 2004 to manage funds for the 'South Pole project' and send agreed money to the different humanitarian organisations Manon supports and visits during her journey!
