Methods for Social Change by Andreea-Loredana Tudorache - HTML preview

Kuku-Slovenia – “Slovenian Mother and

Daughter”

The play was performed in September 2013 for 20 people in Maribor.

The performance talks about psychological violence in the family that can be seen as invisible or ‘not important’ violence in society.

The characters: Mother Valerija, business woman-oppressor / Daughter Hana (27), student, volunteer in NGO-oppressed / Family friend of Hana – Živa (26), just finished her studies, she has moved in with her boyfriend in the flat that her mother bought her – ally of the oppressed /Živa’s mother, member of charity organisation – ally of the oppressor / Seller in the shopping mall-neutral

Scene: Hana and Živa are having a coffee and friendly conversation (what is going on, what are the news etc.). We can see how different the girls are. Živa finished her studies and works, she has just moved in the flat (bought by her mother) with her boyfriend. Hana is still studying, writing her dissertation and is occupied with the work in the NGO as a volunteer. Hana’s mother calls and orders her to come home.

Scene: Family shopping in the shopping mall Europark. We see Valerija and her friend shopping for clothes for the charity dinner. The friend and her daughetr Živa are very happy to shop together. Valerija calls Hana and starts to insult her about how badly she’s dressed, how ugly she looks, that no one would even look at her etc.

At Valerija’s home. Valerija and her friend are drinking a coffee and having a small talk. Hana enters and wants to go to the NGO where she works. Mother starts to shout at her that she is incompetent, doing nothing all the time, not working yet or doing her studies, not having a boyfriend, being a loser etc. She is humiliating Hana from all aspects and they have a big argument. Mother asks Hana to leave the house.

Hana is in the park; she calls her friend Živa and tells her about the big fight. She feels completely undermined and doesn’t know what to do.

Interventions

• In the first scene: Hana becomes more powerful. When mother calls her and orders her to come home soon she doesn’t take it so seriously. She says she will come but she is more relaxed and takes some things in her hands. She is showing her rebellion in the way that she is not coming home when her mother wants it but a bit later.
• In the third scene: the mother’s friend starts to support Hana. She says it’s good she has lots of activities as a volunteer and supports her. (The public didn’t approve of this intervention as being realistic.)
• In the third scene: Hana becomes more independent. She says she did all the work at home, explains to her mother that she has a job and that she can go live on her own. She tells the mother that she doesn’t agree with her rules.
• The last scene: Hana calls her friend and tells her she is going for EVS for one year to get more space for herself and her mother.

The last scene: Hana is going to move in with her friend. The point is not to finish her studies right now but to get more experience for the job later.