Throw Like a Girl

A reference point for their exchanges was the life of Jeanne Merkus, a social activist from Utrecht. In 1875 Merkus joined Herzegovina’s uprising and led soldiers into battle against the Ottoman occupation. Though initially a celebrated heroine, Merkus was eventually discredited and forgotten. In Balkan public memory, she became an outcast. Her image in popular culture was recast from guerrilla soldier to insignificant housewife. The group delved into the story of this ‘Dutch Joan of Arc’ and tried to imagine the prejudices she had to fight—in addition to the battle she had joined out of choice. This also opened a space for them to learn about each other’s realities.

Over the past months, the group gathered at TENT and elsewhere. Guest lectures and joint readings prompted intimate conversations. Costumes and a theatrical environment heightened the sense that they were creating a stage for stories that do not always find a welcoming platform in their everyday working life. They learnt to hold space for one another, played with feminine codes, and explored differing feminist perspectives. They embraced the role of women as troublemakers and the resilience found in friendship.

 

About Maja Bekan
Interested in self-organisation and self-empowerment, Maja Bekan stages situations for individuals to form temporary collectives. By sharing time, they find ways to connect across different life paths and societal divisions. The audience is invited into this open-ended process through improvised live gatherings as well as filmic impressions.