Theatrical language, narrative techniques and anti-anti-Gypsyism
Abstract
With this article based on his fieldwork in Šuto Orizari, a Municipality in the suburbs of Skopje (Macedonia), the author analyses how theatrical language and narrative techniques can be used to oppose the strengthening of anti-gypsism in public opinion. Šuto Orizari is the only Municipality in the world where romanés is used as an official language, and the Mayor and the majority of the members of the assembly of the municipality come from the Roma community, thus enjoying a degree of effective self-government. Andrea Mochi Sismondi and Fiorenza Menni lived there for two years trying to understand the different visions of the world originating among Roma, while collecting dramaturgical materials later used in the production of two theatrical performances, a book and several public events where Roma and Gadžé can exchange their points of view on fundamental issues concerning political philosophy. Freedom, equality, the legitimate aspiration to a better life, freedom of movement: all values modern constitutions are based on, and on which the two artists focused their long interviews and conversations with Šuto Orizari citizens and Roma colleagues. The work has been presented all over Italy and its results reveal how literary non-fiction and performing arts can be successfully used to show the weakness of the arguments alleging the cultural distance that would make the dialogue between Roma and Gadžé impossible.
Anuac is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence 4.0. With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author. It should be also mentioned that the work has been first published by the journal Anuac.
Having published these contributions for the first time, Anuac will have the right to publish them integrally or partially as reprints or possibly as part of a thematic issue, in both digital and printed format.
It is not necessary to ask further permissions both to author or the journal.
Photographs and other images
Photographs and other images marked with the symbol Copyright © cannot be distributed. The readers of the journal or the users of the website can download photographs and other images that are not marked with the above mentioned symbol.