WHO WANTS MY LAND?
We invite you to the immersive play WHO WANTS MY LAND? directed by Butrint Pasha.
"Who Wants My Land?" directed by Butrint Pasha
CAST:
Karolina Baster
Maria Poproch
Jakub Ormaniec
On Tuesday, April 1st at 7:00 PM and Sunday, April 6th at 7:00 PM, we invite you to Villa Decius for the immersive theatrical performance WHO WANTS MY LAND?, directed by Butrint Pasha. The performance is the result of the artist's three-month residency at Villa Decius as part of the ARTS IN EXILE program.
WHO WANTS MY LAND? is a powerful theatrical production that explores the fundamental human need for peace—or at least a dignified death. The play prompts reflection on how experiences shape our thoughts and how war can give rise to trauma, hatred, and the desire for revenge. The drama was inspired by conversations with Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest and Kraków, as well as the playwright’s personal experiences growing up in the war-torn Balkans of the 1990s. The main character of the play is a Ukrainian refugee who returns to her home to confront the painful past of the day she lost her family. The horrors of that fateful day transform into a force that allows her to move forward with her life.
The performance takes the form of immersive theater, incorporating elements of Theater of Cruelty and Poor Theater, emphasizing the symbolism of war, memory, and forgiveness. It will take place in various spaces within Villa Decius—both indoors and in the garden—where each scene will symbolize the seven days of the week and the Seventh Circle of Hell from Dante’s Inferno. The grand finale of the performance will be a symbolic burial of instruments of war, serving as a hopeful vision of a world free from violence.
In this play, which I began a year ago by conducting interviews with Ukrainian refugees and completed at Villa Decius, I seek to highlight the threat of the extinction of the Ukrainian nation and its language. The war in Ukraine is fundamentally based on racism, systematic hatred, and an attempt to erase the history of this centuries-old nation. On April 1st, I will present the immersive performance Who Wants My Land? in Kraków, a unique experience unfolding across the spaces of Villa Decius and its surroundings. – says Butrint Pasha.
BUTRINT PASHA
Butrint Pasha is a Kosovo-born director and playwright, born in 1992. He graduated in theater directing from the Academy of Arts in Pristina. He has directed numerous productions tackling social issues, family dynamics, and sensitive topics. As a human rights activist, he participates in integration programs supporting marginalized groups. In 2003, he was awarded the Special Prize at the FTF Festival for his play Sober. His artistic work is influenced by New Brutalism, and the protagonists of his plays are often women. He has also translated plays from English, including Mike Bartlett’s Bull (nominated for EURODRAM 2023). His original plays include Ping Pong & Love (2023) and Red Light on Sunday (2023). Currently, he is working on his first novel, based on his childhood experiences growing up in the shadow of war.
Tickets for the performance are available at:
https://bilety.willadecjusza.pl/
The event will be recorded (audio and video). By participating, you consent to the recording and use of your image for the organizer's documentation and promotional purposes. More: https://willadecjusza.pl/polityka-prywatnosci-1
Karolina Baster
Maria Poproch
Jakub Ormaniec
On Tuesday, April 1st at 7:00 PM and Sunday, April 6th at 7:00 PM, we invite you to Villa Decius for the immersive theatrical performance WHO WANTS MY LAND?, directed by Butrint Pasha. The performance is the result of the artist's three-month residency at Villa Decius as part of the ARTS IN EXILE program.
WHO WANTS MY LAND? is a powerful theatrical production that explores the fundamental human need for peace—or at least a dignified death. The play prompts reflection on how experiences shape our thoughts and how war can give rise to trauma, hatred, and the desire for revenge. The drama was inspired by conversations with Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest and Kraków, as well as the playwright’s personal experiences growing up in the war-torn Balkans of the 1990s. The main character of the play is a Ukrainian refugee who returns to her home to confront the painful past of the day she lost her family. The horrors of that fateful day transform into a force that allows her to move forward with her life.
The performance takes the form of immersive theater, incorporating elements of Theater of Cruelty and Poor Theater, emphasizing the symbolism of war, memory, and forgiveness. It will take place in various spaces within Villa Decius—both indoors and in the garden—where each scene will symbolize the seven days of the week and the Seventh Circle of Hell from Dante’s Inferno. The grand finale of the performance will be a symbolic burial of instruments of war, serving as a hopeful vision of a world free from violence.
In this play, which I began a year ago by conducting interviews with Ukrainian refugees and completed at Villa Decius, I seek to highlight the threat of the extinction of the Ukrainian nation and its language. The war in Ukraine is fundamentally based on racism, systematic hatred, and an attempt to erase the history of this centuries-old nation. On April 1st, I will present the immersive performance Who Wants My Land? in Kraków, a unique experience unfolding across the spaces of Villa Decius and its surroundings. – says Butrint Pasha.
BUTRINT PASHA
Butrint Pasha is a Kosovo-born director and playwright, born in 1992. He graduated in theater directing from the Academy of Arts in Pristina. He has directed numerous productions tackling social issues, family dynamics, and sensitive topics. As a human rights activist, he participates in integration programs supporting marginalized groups. In 2003, he was awarded the Special Prize at the FTF Festival for his play Sober. His artistic work is influenced by New Brutalism, and the protagonists of his plays are often women. He has also translated plays from English, including Mike Bartlett’s Bull (nominated for EURODRAM 2023). His original plays include Ping Pong & Love (2023) and Red Light on Sunday (2023). Currently, he is working on his first novel, based on his childhood experiences growing up in the shadow of war.
Tickets for the performance are available at:
https://bilety.willadecjusza.pl/
The event will be recorded (audio and video). By participating, you consent to the recording and use of your image for the organizer's documentation and promotional purposes. More: https://willadecjusza.pl/polityka-prywatnosci-1
The Arts in Exile
The "Arts in Exile" project is a residency program aimed at creating a creative platform for collaboration among artists who have experienced forced migration due to economic, political, security, or ethnic persecution reasons. It offers a three-month residency at Villa Decius for three artists representing different fields of art: literature, visual arts, and music.
During the residency, the artists will engage in both individual creative work and dialogue with one another. Through collaboration, the use of personal experiences, and different artistic disciplines, they will prepare a multimedia artistic event for the local audience. The thematic focus of the artists' work will include cultural heritage, migration, minorities, functioning within a community, inclusion and exclusion, trauma, and artistic freedom.
In addition to Butrint Pasha, the residency program also features Redina Qose, a visual artist from Albania, and Ondiso Madete, a Kenyan performer. They will present the results of their work at Villa Decius on March 30.
More about these events:
https://willadecjusza.pl/en/events/art-installation-some-paths-lead-somewhere
https://willadecjusza.pl/en/events/performance-minimum-dacay
The project is operated by the Villa Decius Association.
It is implemented within the Culture Moves Europe program and funded by the European Union.
During the residency, the artists will engage in both individual creative work and dialogue with one another. Through collaboration, the use of personal experiences, and different artistic disciplines, they will prepare a multimedia artistic event for the local audience. The thematic focus of the artists' work will include cultural heritage, migration, minorities, functioning within a community, inclusion and exclusion, trauma, and artistic freedom.
In addition to Butrint Pasha, the residency program also features Redina Qose, a visual artist from Albania, and Ondiso Madete, a Kenyan performer. They will present the results of their work at Villa Decius on March 30.
More about these events:
https://willadecjusza.pl/en/events/art-installation-some-paths-lead-somewhere
https://willadecjusza.pl/en/events/performance-minimum-dacay
The project is operated by the Villa Decius Association.
It is implemented within the Culture Moves Europe program and funded by the European Union.