In this immersive-multimedia performance of poems by Yahya Hassan, we dive into his blunt reckoning with his lived reality as a stateless Palestinian with a Danish passport. His poetic language is angry, radical and, at the same time, just as full of violence as it is in search of tenderness. Hassan’s controversial volume of poetry, who only lived to 24, is considered, with over 120,000 copies sold, to be the most successful debut in Denmark.
Hassan’s poetry, which basically screams at the reader in all caps, is characterized by clear, incisive and powerful language. His words are direct and blunt.
With this performance, director Murat Dikenci embarks on a search for tenderness in Yahya Hassan’s poems: Hassan tells of how he grew up as the son of Palestinian refugees in Denmark with a violent father and how he struggled with his own cultural identity shaped by patriarchal conditions and a strict interpretation of Islam. Yahya Hassan provokes by reflecting critically on his life and refusing to let himself be censored. In the process, he created a powerful work which represents the voice of a new generation of poets, as well as a young person’s perspective on the world and his own identity.
With poetic video works by David Uzochukwu, the empathetic and energetic voice of Hassan Akkouch, and the performers Edi Kastrati and Serge Irie, the audience finds itself in an immersive space which takes them on a journey through the life of a boy genius who never let himself be taken in.
Yahya Hassan is a takeover from Universen/Schauspiel Hannover, curated by Murat Dikenci.
FЯEMDE POESIE? is sponsored by Haupstadtkulturfonds
German premiere
Content note:
The production contains explicit descriptions of sexualized and domestic violence and deals with positions critical of religion. For some people, this could lead to negative reactions.
People affected by domestic and sexualized violence can find information at: www.hilfe-portal-missbrauch.de
People who are affected by discrimination can find advice at: www.antidiskriminierungsstelle.de
