Lina Akif
A Slovenian Passion Play
An intermedia spatial documentation of the performance 12+
Akademija za gledališče, radio, film in televizijo Univerze v Ljubljani, Zavod Melara, Kulturni zavod Godot, Društvo za sodobno umetnost Fotopub
Schedule
Première 9.–10. september 2021, Pokljuka–Triglav
Running time 30 minutes. No intermission.
Guided tour with discussion on 31 May 2022 at 10.00 and 18.00 and 1 June 2022 at 19.00.
Author of the concept, performer Lina Akif
Dramaturgs Nina Kuclar Stiković, Nika Korenjak
Camera operators Dare Sintič, Domen Ožbot
Video editors Luka Miklošič, Ema Radovan
Supervisor Boris Ostan
The performance was made possible by the Mountaineering Society Ljubljana – matica.
In the video
Gaja Filač, Klemen Kovačič, Iva Slosar, Anja Jeršan, BlažŠef, Luka Miklošič, Boris Ostan, Nina Kuclar Stiković, Nejc Žorž, dog Bart
Lina Akif took the mountain path to reach the high altar of Slovenehood: Mount Triglav. The author walked the path from Pokljuka to Aljaž Tower at its peak, carrying the burden of the colour of her skin and a constant obligation to prove her national belonging and identity. Her burden, symbolically represented by a Kurent’s head on her back, goes beyond the question of Slovenehood, as it questions identity in general. The author of Sudanese and Hungarian roots transposes her intimate experience into the socio-political space. At the same time, Mount Triglav’s symbolic position sets up a conflict that encourages the author to research her attitude towards her homeland. Although her situation cannot change through personal engagement alone, the author wishes to shed the feeling of being a foreigner in her homeland, all while drawing attention to the problems of racism, which automatically assigns nationality and race to individuals simply based on the shade of their skin colour or other visual features. Within her nine-hour ascent to Mount Triglav, the author staged twelve stations of the cross, but instead of a cross carried the mask of a Kurent, a symbol of Slovenehood and her personal pilgrimage and identification with the Slovenian nation. But she didn’t carry the burden alone – she asked the audience that accompanied her on the route to untie the handkerchiefs from the Kurent and carry them, as a sign of their own burden, all the way to the mountain top and tie them to Aljaž Tower.
