Koncept, koreografija, ples/ Author, Choreographer, dancer: Maša Kagao Knez
Soustvarjalke predstave & nastopajoČe/ Co- created and performed by:
Irena Yebuah Tiran (pevka, mezosporanistka/ singer, mezzo-sopran)
Leticia Slapnik Yebuah (vokalistka, tolkalistka/ vocalist, percussionist)
Maša Kagao Knez (plesalka/ dancer)

Other artistic collaborators:

Damir Mazrek, Andrej Hrvatin, Boštjan Gombač (avtorske skladbe/ original music), Danilo Pečar (oblikovanje svetlobe/ lighting design), Jelena Proković & JSP (kostumi/costumes), Rosana Hribar (choreographer of the solo performance, which was the starting point for this piece)

Koprodukcija/ Co-production: DIASPORA & KUD BAOBAB
PREMIERA:  24. januar 2025, Festival FIDO, Burkina Faso / January 24th 2025, Festival International de Danse de Ouagadougou -FIDO, Burkina Faso

“Moja mama je Evropejka. Moj oče je Afričan.
V Evropi me kličejo: črnka; V Afriki: belka.
Vedno znova sem “od drugod”
Rojena zunaj svoje vasi.”

Predstava Rojene zunaj svojih vasi je plesno – vokalno- glasbena osebna izpoved treh umetnic, ki jih je povezala izkušnja dvojnih korenin; vse so rojene v Evropi (Sloveniji), mamam Slovenkam in očetom Afričanom (Burkina Faso, Gana): koreografinja in plesalka Maša Kagao Knez in sestri dvojčici: pevka, mezzosopranistka Irena Yebuah Tiran ter vokalistka in tolkalistka Leticia Slapnik Yebuah.

…Ženske, rojene „zunaj svojih vasi“, so stkale močne vezi, ki so jim odprle nove svetove in jim pomagale ustvariti skupnost, ki spoštuje raznolikost in krepi lepoto sobivanja….

Predstava je neke vrste nadaljevanje solo predstave koreografinje in plesalke Maše Kagao Knez iz leta 2010 (Rojena, zunaj svoje vasi). Naslov je prevod njenega drugega imena Kagao. Kot izhodišče za dvodelni solo performans je postavila izkušnjo zunanjosti in (ne)pripadanja ter principe dvojnosti in identitete. K sodelovanju je takrat povabila koreografinjo Rosano Hribar (iz Slovenije) in koreografa Filiberta Tologoja (iz Burkina Fasa), da sta iz različnih perspektiv razvila gibalni material, ki ga vsebuje eno telo, telo plesalke dvojnih korenin.

“Moja plesna zgodba je zelo tesno povezana z mojo osebno zgodbo. Ples je del mojega življenja že od otroštva in svoje korenine sem vedno iskala v plesu. Moje srednje ime Kagao, ki mi ga je dal oče, v burkinskem jeziku gurunsi označuje tisto, ki je bila rojena “zunaj” vasi. Zdi se mi, kot da me je to ime zaznamovalo, zato sem svojo dvojno identiteto in korenine, tako po mamini (slovenski) kot po očetovi strani (burkinski), raziskovala skozi ples … Z umetnostjo pa želim ustvariti most med dvojnostjo in različnostjo.”

Nastopajoče smo vse rojene v Evropi, očetom iz Afrike in čeprav od rojstva živimo v Sloveniji, se večno srečujemo z opazkami kot :
»kako si se lepo naučila slovensko!Od kod pa si drugače?«
»Iz Slovenije«.
“Ja ja, ampak kaj pa drugače?« in vse do bolj nestrpnih: »Pojdi nazaj od kjer si prišla!«

V Evropi smo »črnke«, v Afriki »belke«… in tako smo »vedno nekje zunaj«

Soočenja z nepripadanjem so nas spodbudile, da smo se začele spraševati »kam pa pripadam, in kaj mi ta drugačnost prinaša? In prav zaradi teh okoliščin in teh vprašanj, so se naše poti srečale in nas povezale.

Predstava je bila premierno uprizorjena januarja 2025 v Burkina Fasu, na 13. festivalu  Festival International de Danse de Ouagadougou -FIDO, ki poteka pod umetniškim vodstvom koreografinje Irène Tassembedo.

“My mother is European. My father is African.
In Europe they call me: black; in Africa: white.
I am always “from elsewhere”
Born outside my village.”

The piece Born Outside Their Villages is a dance-vocal-musical personal story of three artists who are connected by the experience of their double origins; they were all born in Europe (Slovenia), to Slovenian mothers and African fathers (Burkina Faso, Ghana): choreographer and dancer Maša Kagao Knez and twin sisters: singer, mezzo-soprano Irena Yebuah Tiran and vocalist and percussionist Leticia Slapnik Yebuah.

…Women born “outside their villages” have forged strong bonds that have opened up new worlds and helped them to create a community that respects diversity and enhances the beauty of coexistence….

The performance is a kind of continuation of the solo performance of choreographer and dancer Maša Kagao Knez from 2010 (Born, Outside My Village). The title is a translation of her middle name Kagao. Her two-part solo performance takes as its starting point the experience of being outside and (not) belonging, as well as the principles of duality and identity. She then invited choreographer Rosana Hribar (from Slovenia) and choreographer Filiberto Tologo (from Burkina Faso) to develop, from different perspectives, a movement material contained in one body, that of a dancer of dual origins.

“My dance story is very closely linked to my personal story. Dance has been part of my life since childhood and I have always found my roots in dance. My middle name Kagao, given to me by my father, in the Burkinabe language Gurunsi, denotes one who was born ‘outside’ the village. I feel as if this name has marked me, so I have explored my dual identity and roots, both on my mother’s side (Slovenian) and on my father’s side (Burkinabe), through dance … Through art, I want to create a bridge between duality and diversity.”

The performers were all born in Europe to African fathers, and although we have lived in Slovenia since birth, we are constantly confronted with remarks like :”how nice you learned Slovenian !”, “where are you from otherwise ?”

“From Slovenia”.

“Yes, yes, but really, where do you come from?”

and to the more racist comments, “Go back where you came from!”

In Europe we are “black”, in Africa “white”… and so we are always “from elsewhere””.

Confronting not belonging made us start to ask ourselves “where do I belong, and what does this difference have brought me? And it was because of these circumstances and these questions that our paths met and connected us.

The show premiered in January 2025 in Burkina Faso, at the 13th Festival International de Danse de Ouagadougou – FIDO, under the artistic direction of choreographer Irène Tassembedo.