HEJMO

An Intercultural Performance around Idendity 

Poetic, Powerful, Positive, Political and even a bit Pop. HEJMO is a performance that will throw a Molotov cocktail at the stereotypes it can no longer stand, a poem about rain falling on the rooftops of a small village in the Alps, an indigestible recipe that seemed so good at first, a burst of dancing energy, an interview we’ve forgotten but should really bear in mind, a bunch of keys to open many doors, and a laugh over a cup of coffee.

If the ideal home is a comfortable place where we feel safe and well looked after, is our collective home, Italy, a home for everyone? The answer is no: there are those who are systematically made to sit on the uncomfortable chair by those sitting in the important chairs, or on the one that risks breaking, or who simply cannot find a chair at all. ‘Italians are good people’, but in the 2024 report by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, Italy did not come out well.

Pity. Let’s see where it will stand next time.

 Meanwhile, HEJMO looks to the future of our society with genuine optimism, offering poetic keys that make us all feel welcome at the table. Six artists from diverse cultural and artistic backgrounds have explored the themes of home, belonging and identity through words, movement and imagery. The performance is a collective creation, blending various theatrical languages through Poetic Landscapes Dramaturgy, the Bilourian method of stage composition that has enabled the Collective to distinguish itself internationally for its research.

HEJMO also marks the culmination of a long period of experimentation that BILOURA has undertaken as part of the five years project LIVING BETTER (Territori Inclusivi – Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo – lead organisation Consorzio Servizi Sociali del Canavese In.Re.Te.), during which the Collective has been enriched by an in-depth engagement with the welfare sector and the Narrative Change technique for reframing the debate on migration.