Language: no broblem
Marah Haj Hussein
Information
Times: 7:30pm
Tickets: Pay What You Can (Recommended Price £14)*
*all orders subject to a transaction fee of £2
Running Time: 70 minutes (no interval)
Age Recommendation: 18+
This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber
Co-presented by Battersea Arts Centre and Shubbak Festival
Giving voice to spoken Palestinian Arabic as well as Hebrew, Dutch and English, Language: no broblem investigates the role of language in shaping our understanding of borders and displacement.
Weaving personal narrative with recordings of her family under occupation, artist Marah Haj Hussein combines breathtaking storytelling, audio and visuals to reveal the layered forms of domination a language can exert on another, causing it to continuously transform and alter.
‘Not just a performance, but a journey that invites introspection, provokes emotions and creates a much-needed dialogue.‘ Brusselse Wikijury
‘Marah Haj Hussein gives a brilliant demonstration of language as a weapon of oppression.’ Theaterkrant
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Shubbak Festival
Shubbak Festival (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) is Europe’s largest biennial celebration of contemporary Arab and SWANA (South West Asian & North African) arts and culture.
Taking place from 23 May to 15 June 2025, the festival showcases bold, innovative, and culturally authentic works across visual arts, film, music, theatre, dance, literature, and debates, connecting audiences in London, across the UK, and beyond.
Biographies
Marah Haj Hussein
Marah Haj Hussein is a dancer, actress and maker from Kofor Yassif in occupied Palestine. She is currently based in Antwerp, where she graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor of Dance at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp, and then in 2023 with her master’s degree in Drama at KASK in Ghent. By merging these two disciplines, Marah challenges the delineation that separates text from movement, while simultaneously searching for possible ways to allow both into the performative space. In her work, Marah investigates the definition of mother tongue in a multilingual context while while exploring the power dynamics between languages. Marah has won the Roel Verniers Prize by Het Theaterfestival 2023 for her solo piece Language: no broblem.
Credits
Co-presented by Battersea Arts Centre and Shubbak Festival
Co-Produced by Monty & Moussem
Funded by Het TheaterFestival and Fonds voor Nieuwe Makers van Stad Antwerpen.
Concept and Performance Marah Haj Hussein
Sound Design Anton Lambert
Music and Composition Verena Rizzo
Projection Mapping Koen de Saeger
Dramaturgy Krystel Khoury
Scenography and Textile Agnese Forlani
Décor Mohamed Sultan
Light Design Pol Seif
With thanks to Kaaitheater, Toneelhuis, Kunstcentrum BUDA, A Two Dogs Company, DeSingel, hetpaleis, and Thomas Bellinck.
Access
PRE EVENT INFORMATION
This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber. This space is on the first floor, with step-free access via a lift.
If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.
PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS
If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing access@bac.org.uk.
To book a free access companion online:
- log in to your account here
- go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
- Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Content
- Loud music
- References to racism
- References to violence
All performances will be Relaxed. We invite you to make yourself comfortable and move around if you need to and if you need to leave the performance at any point you will be allowed to return to the space when you feel ready.
We want our shows to be as accessible to as many people as possible.
We offer tickets to most shows on a Pay What You Can basis throughout the year.
Tickets for performances in 2025 start at £9.50, and we have recommended pricing to help you choose a price that works for you.
We know that ticket price is a huge barrier for some. If you can afford to pay the recommended price or more, choosing to do so supports those that can’t. It makes it possible for us to continue to offer Pay What You Can and welcome those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend.
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