“A brilliant demonstration of language as a weapon of oppression” – Theaterkrant
In Language: no broblem, Marah Haj Hussein explores how language moves between borders, memories, and power. Through personal stories from Belgium and the voices of her family members living under occupation, she shows how language can be both a form of resistance and a tool of oppression. Palestinian Arabic, Hebrew, English, and Dutch clash, distort, and blend. “A brilliant demonstration of language as a weapon of oppression,” wrote Theaterkrant. This powerful performance is part of our Nieuwe Makers (New Makers) series.
Marah Haj Hussein takes you into her personal story, set between multiple languages, cultures, and memories. She shares her life in Belgium and how she navigates between various tongues. At the same time, the voices of her family members in occupied Palestine echo throughout the performance. They reflect on their relationship with their mother tongue, Palestinian Arabic, and the connection to Hebrew, the official language of their place of residence.
The performance examines how language is tied to power, identity, and culture. Marah shows that language is never neutral—it shapes how we understand ourselves and one another. She plays with the boundaries of what can and cannot be translated. With humor, anger, love, and absurdity, the performance embraces the limits of translatability while engaging with acts of resistance. Language: no broblem is an invitation to reflect on multilingualism—on who gets to be heard, and in which language.
About the artist:
Marah Haj Hussein (°1998) is a dancer, actress, and theatre maker from Kofor Yassif in occupied Palestine. She currently lives in Antwerp, where she graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance from the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. In June 2023, she completed her Master’s degree in Drama at KASK in Ghent. By combining these two disciplines, Marah challenges the division between text and movement, while searching for new ways to integrate both in performance.
In her work, she explores the concept and definition of a mother tongue, while investigating the power dynamics between languages. In 2023, Marah was awarded the Roel Verniers Prize at Het Theaterfestival.
SHIFT, an initiative of Explore the North and Stadsschouwburg De Harmonie.
Grounded performing arts: raw, honest, topical and disruptive. You come to SHIFT because you want to know what is going on: in your head, in the world, with others, with yourself, in the big and in the small. For curious thinkers and critical dreamers. Throughout the year, in changing locations, you will find must-see performances, off the beaten path of theater. From spoken word to postmodern dance. From theatrical pamphlet to poetic requiem. These are performances by young and more established artists who touch on current affairs and the future.