20 years post 9/11, Club Guy & Roni and Slagwerk Den Haag work with former Guantánamo Bay detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi to create a thrilling and in-your-face dance performance about freedom.
Freedom is one of our core values. Wars were and still are fought for it. Yet freedom is a fluid concept, and in the Netherlands, we’re sometimes a little to quick to claim that we’re ‘free’. Hiding behind that freedom is the truth of how we restrict the freedom of others to preserve our own.
The inspiration for Freedom is the story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was unlawfully detained in Guantánamo Bay, where he was interrogated and tortured for 14 years. His book The Guantanamo Diary tells his harrowing story, and it was recently adapted into a film entitled The Mauritanian. As a writer, Ould Slahi advocates for a world where freedom is an inherent right and forgiveness a core value. Mohamedou has penned an original script for the performance, as writer-in-residence at NITE and De Balie for the 21-22 season.
The art of Freedom
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“FREEDOM is divided in several chapters. First of all, we see the physical experience of being kidnapped. It’s important to put words to it. Then there’s the fight to get out (…) The third chapter of FREEDOM is an actual phonecall between Mohamedou Ould Slahi and one of his interrogators in Guantanamo Bay. I’m sure this will lead to discussion afterwards. The interrogator literally says, ‘We shouldn’t have tortured you, but I’m 100 percent convinced of your guilt.'”
– Guy Weizman in Dagblad van het Noorden
Freedom is an explosive, high-energy and poignant dance performance that follows in the 20-year tradition of Club Guy & Roni. The show was created by Roni Haver and Guy Weizman, and is performed by an award-winning ensemble of dancers and musicians from ‘the Club’ and Slagwerk Den Haag.
Listen to the Warm-up podcast before the show
Listen to our online introduction 🎧 FREEDOM: THE WARM UP 🎧 on your way to the theater or at home when getting ready.
Find it in your favorite podcast app (itunes, spotify, google podcasts or stitcher) or listen below.
Freedom is language no problem.
