JOANA KNEZEVIC GUILLERMO+ SWEETGRASS

1)

LA POCHA NOSTRA

Guillermo Gomez Pena and Balitronica Gomez

Having an opportunity to help Guillermo and to watch his performance and his partner Balitronica Gomez live, at CalArts, it was very special to me. I saw with how much respect and curiosity he treats every single person in the space. I can say he is a real gentleman with the manners. The way how carefully and precisely he was asking us to fix his lights before the show and how carefully we practice (very simple) transition for his performance, was very special to me. His presence in the space is very authoritative and pleasant, you want to be part of his work and to learn from him. Hopefully, I will go to his workshop next summer and work with them… that will be a unique and fantastic experience. A couple of years ago I had a short workshop with one of his member of La Pocha Nostra, and it was unforgeable. So, I really expect a lot to work directly from Gullermo.

In the beginning of their performance previous Wednesday, we saw a black and white movie. It was a very strong choice to do the movie in the black and white technique. It became a metaphor for the relationship between people who this land belong and people who don't know the history (or just denied that history).  In the movie, Gullermo was talking to the audience using a lot of clichés about Mexicans, (non)immigration and oppressor. It was obvious that the movie was made many years ago (Guillermo looked much younger) but, the movie was still relevant today. This movie was outstanding introduction and kind of worming up what can we expect from him that night. So, the audience expected – unexpected. In the end of the movie, Balitronica showed up on the stage with the paper that she was reading to the audience. I felt that she was a person who took a bend of from Guillermo’s censored art. Through the very wisely written text, she said the warning triggers that could show up in the next part of the performance. Than Guillermo showed up in his kilt and a black t-shirt (it was written POLICE in Spanish) and started his performance, his confession that belongs to his flesh. Through the pop art-culture lenses/sunglasses he performed his inner dialogue with the rest of the world repetitively saying “Thank You”. His “thank you” sometimes sound like a warning, sometimes like he is asking for support but most of the time to make a point and underline the thoughts. Every time when he would say this sentence I would have goosy boobs. This “Thank You” is very present in our society, it is important to learn, as soon as you are born or imported into another country in order to survive. “Thank You” is also here for something that you do not agree but because you belong to the “others” it would be better to learn and repeat it: Thank You!

 2)

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS  by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Allegiance to Gratitude

Last night I read, for the first time this part of the book. In my mind it raised a lot of questions that I really didn't know about America, to be precise, about Pledge of Allegiance. Today, I‘ve been doing a research about that and I found very interesting comments and opinions about Pledge of Allegiance and here is a very interesting website that I’ve recently found:

  http://www.dontsaythepledge.com/.

As a person who is religious, who believe in God, I’ve never forced anybody to belong to my faith and to accept what I believe in. To me, this is very personal and individual question. If somebody asks you to share what’s your faith that is something else. That means that we are having a dialogue out of curiosity because we want to know more about each other, nobody forces us. But, if somebody tells you that you have to say, in a choir with other kids, Pledge of Allegiance I think this is a big violence. Those words “Under God” was added in 1954. the original Pledge of Allegiance didn’t have that. Constitutional law (First Amendment of the Constitution: free speech rights) says that you have full right not to participate in the school during Pledge of Allegiance, but most teachers they don’t know about that or they don't want to respect that. Basically, they force kids to stand up and loudly and proudly say the words that some of them have no idea what does that mean.

I am sure in one thing Pledge of Allegiance is a huge hypocrisy. “Liberty and justice for all” is a joke. Just ask people from the different communities do they have the same rights like some other community (LGBT; poor people to raise their voice during the elections,…) and the answer is no. However, these kids from those communities still have to say Pledge of Allegiance even though they might not have the opportunity to walk down the street without fear.

Reading the Thanksgiving Address I found very connected to those words. It was like a fairy tale of the 21^st century. Talking about nature, birds, winds, sun, moon and celebrate them is not easy today. It should be, but I feel that our planet is sick, unfortunately. I wish that we can take care more of ourselves and our surroundings, in order to have what to celebrate. Right now, we have to make ourselves in a position of the doctor. First, we have to make our planet healthy and better place for leaving. I feel responsible for this nature and for the future generations. We should be in a constant dialogue with nature and through that transmission between us and our planet we should listen to our planet carefully. Right now it is a red light from our earth, and we should first fix in order to celebrate. This is a moment when we don’t need only to raise the awareness about our vulnerable planet, this is a moment for action.