language: no broblem

Balancing on a tightrope between (im)possible translations.

“Language: no broblem” explores multilingualism in a journey through languages, geographies, voices and imaginaries. When speaking more than one language becomes a compass, the underlying power dynamics between languages emerge; how do they intertwine in one’s mind in an oppressive environment? The performance follows the story of a train journey in Belgium and the encounters experienced by the protagonist. Her narrative interweaves with the ones of her family members living under occupation. Their voices talk about their relationship with Palestinian Arabic, their mother tongue, and Hebrew, the official language of the state they live in. This sheds light on one of the often silenced efforts of colonialism: the slow and progressive mechanism that, across generations, ensures the supremacy of the coloniser’s language over the indigenous one. Marah Haj Hussein reveals the layered forms of pressure, violence and domination that a language can exert on another, constantly transforming and altering it. With humour, rage and love, this performance embraces the limits of the translatability of a language to keep thinking about processes of resistance.

Marah Haj Hussein is a dancer, actress and creator from Kofor Yassif, in occupied Palestine. She is currently based in Antwerp, where she obtained a Bachelor of Dance from the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in 2021. In 2023, she obtained a master’s degree in Theater at KASK, in Ghent. By merging dance and theater, Haj Hussein challenges the separation between text and movement, searching for ways to make both coexist in the performative space. In her work, she explores the definition of mother tongue in a multilingual context, where she in 2023 won the Roel Verniers Prize at het TheaterFestival for “Language: no broblem”. At the moment she is performing in the pieces of “Badke (remix)” by Amir Sabra &Atta Khattab / laGeste and in Persians by Chokri ben Chikha / Action Zoo Humain.

concept and performance by Marah Haj Hussein
dramaturgy by Krystel Khoury
projection Mapping by Koen de Saeger
light design by Pol Seif
music by Anton Lambert & Verena Rizzo
sound design by Anton Lambert
scenography and Textile by Agnese Forlani
decor by Mohamed Sultan

coproduction by Monty
made possible by Het TheaterFestival, Fonds voor Nieuwe Makers van Stad Antwerpen
thanks to Ettijahat, Kaaitheater, Toneelhuis, Kunstcentrum BUDA, A Two Dogs Company, DeSingel, hetpaleis, Thomas Bellinck, Barakat Haj, Lubna Haj, Luna Haj, Hala Haj, Sari Haj, Moanes Fahoum, Anan Saadi, Fadia Shehadeh and Hashem Shehadeh

Many thanks to - Krystel Khoury, Thomas Bellinck, Koen Haagdorens and hetpaleis, Shamisa Debroey and DE SINGEL, Cees Vossen and Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre, deFENIKS - WALPURGIS, arts centre BUDA, Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi and Halaqat, and workspacebrussels. In collaboration with - Halaqat, Ad’Hoc Platform, Goethe-Institut Brussels, Bozar, La Bellone, Théâtre Marni, Studio 8.