The Wonders of Multilingualism #6 / Language: no broblem

Kaaitheater and Passa Porta present the sixth edition of The Wonders of Multilingualism, which focuses on the layeredness of multilingualism. This time, in (Un)learning languages, several makers take a closer look at the links between migration, power and language acquisition. Thus, they unravel the relationships between language and power and dig into (language) resistance.

(Un)learning languages takes place in the context of Marah Haj Hussein’s performance Language: no broblem.  Hussein talks about colonial mechanisms that ensure – often by force – how the language of the original inhabitants disappears. Different voices from occupied Palestine reflect on their mother tongue and the coloniser’s official state language.

After the performance, writers Fatima Noori and Zaïneb Hamdi will discuss their own experiences of multilingualism. Fatima Noori fled her homeland Afghanistan and ended up in Belgium after a horrific journey, where she learned Dutch very quickly. She wrote about her experiences as a refugee dealing with powerlessness and racism in Het boek van Fatima (Fatima’s Book). Zaïneb Hamdi published her first book of poetry Fils d’Arabe in 2017 and has been translating her texts into performances and typographic videos since 2020.

Poet Maud Vanhauwaert pondered the limits of translatability. She asked herself: how many combinations can you make with the words “Ik spreek de taal nog niet zo goed” (I don’t speak the language very well yet’)? Her research culminated in the world’s longest audio poem, which will be presented at WoM#6.

Meanwhile, Brussels city poet Lisette Ma Neza wrote a cycle of poems about language and identity for Molenfest, from which she will read. To conclude, she will perform improvised poetry on this multilingual evening.