Ahilan Ratnamohan / ROBIN

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - I. Community

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - I. Community
Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - I. Community
2

02.02.2023

In the three-part lecture series Should Have Been My Mother Tongue, Ahilan Ratnamohan examines the impact of language on society, based on his own learning of the Tamil language. For this he switched the language he spoke with his 71-year-old mother. The theme of the first lecture is 'community': how does a shared language influence mutual relationships among the Tamil diaspora? Could these relationships exist if there is no shared language? Ahilan also looks at his relationship with his own children whom he is raising in English but really wants to speak Tamil with them.

Part II (Culture) and III (Pedagogy) of the lecture series will take place at the Passa Porta festival and Kunstenfestivaldesarts.

• Ahilan Ratnamohan, born in Australia to a Sri Lankan and Tamil family, is a theatre maker with an obsession for language. His interdisciplinary work explores language acquisition as a form of performance and vice versa.  His performances have surprising, unconventional forms. In 2021, together with Sulaiman Addonia, he kicked off the series the Wonders of Multilingualism (together with Passa Porta). His solo Alle woorden die ik nog niet kende premiered at Kaaitheater in 2021. For the next three years, we will welcome him as artist-in-residence at Kaaitheater.

presented by Passa Porta, KFDA & Kaaitheater

There's more

Ahilan Ratnamohan / ROBIN

Une Traduction Infidèle

theatre

Une Traduction Infidèle
Une Traduction Infidèle
Théâtre La Balsamine
Tue 23.05 - Sat 27.05.23

Ratnamohan explores the cultural and linguistic barrier between Wallonia and Flanders through the eyes of a migrant living in Antwerp. What does it mean to learn the globally dominant language in the context of a Flemish-dominated economy?

Ahilan Ratnamohan / ROBIN

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - II. Culture

lecture performance

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - II. Culture
Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - II. Culture
De Munt/La Monnaie
Sun 26.03.23

In how far does language influences your cultural taste? In the three-part lecture series Should Have Been My Mother Tongue. In part 2, during Passa Porta Festival, he concentrates on social customs, music, film and literature. 

Ahilan Ratnamohan / ROBIN

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - III. Pedagogy

lecture performance

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - III. Pedagogy
Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - III. Pedagogy
Maison poème
Sat 20.05.23

Can Western pedagogies work for non-Western structures?  In the three-part lecture series Should Have Been My Mother Tongue, Ahilan Ratnamohan examines the impact of language on society. The third and last part is focused on the learning techniques.

Ahilan Ratnamohan

Ahilan Ratnamohan
Ahilan Ratnamohan

artist

Kaaitheater artist-in-residence 2023-2025