In the seventies, Hüseyin – the figurative protagonist of Fatma Aydemir’s novel “Dschinns” – came to Germany as a guest worker from a Kurdish village. Thirty years later, he returns to Turkey to buy a condominium in Istanbul with his hard-earned money. But he can’t enjoy it: on the day he moves in, he dies of a heart attack. And with him dies the silence in his family. The sudden death forces those left behind to come together and reflect on their own lives, losses, and grief. Aydemir evokes the ghosts of the past in “Djinns.” From the perspectives of the relatives, she tells a sensitive and powerful story about the tensions between Germany and Turkey – two countries that are not really suitable as a home. Nurkan Erpulat and Johannes Kirsten have now brought the multifaceted story to the Gorki Theater in a stage adaptation.
It is an evening that offers striking imagery for the big questions of life: Where do we come from? Where do we want to go? Who do we want to be and what can we forgive? Çiğdem Teke is particularly convincing as the older daughter Sevda, who reunites with her family after years of estrangement, only to find that she has more in common with her own mother than she thought. Her anger is repeatedly punctuated by the softly melancholic vocals of non-binary ensemble member Anthony Hüseyin. The tender melodies allow the characters, for all their despair and restlessness, moments of happiness. On May 28, “Dschinns” will be shown as part of the festival “Gezi – Ten Years After,” which, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Gezi protests, examines the current political upheavals in Turkey. Following the performance, the Gorki Theater invites you to a discussion with the ensemble and the dramaturges, where you can reflect on which Djinns populate your own life. Because the Djinns are, as younger sister Peri says in the play: “The truths that are always there, that are always in the room, whether you want them to be or not, but that you don’t speak out in the hope that they will let you be.”
Text: Laura Storfner / Photos: Ute Langkafel MAIFOTO
Maxim Gorki Theater, Am Festungsgraben 2, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
Dschinns, 28.05.2023; Gezi – Ten Years After Festival 27.05.–30.06.2023. Check out Gorki’s website for more dates.
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