Ahilan Ratnamohan / ROBIN

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - III. Pedagogy

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - III. Pedagogy
Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - III. Pedagogy
1

20.05.2023

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, based on his own learning of the Tamil language.

The third and last part is focused on the learning techniques he has been forced to develop due to the position of Tamil in the global language market and the lack of learning resources, despite its 80 million plus speakers worldwide. The fact that he wishes to acquire Sri Lankan or Jaffna Tamil exacerbates the dearth of traditional, popular learning resources. Confronted with the profoundly disparate grammatical structures, he poses the question, can Western pedagogies work for non-Western structures?  

Ratnamohan presented the first part at Kaaistudio’s and the second during the Passa Porta Festival. Pedagogy takes place at the 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

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

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - I. Community

lecture performance

Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - I. Community
Should Have Been My Mother Tongue - I. Community
Kaaistudio's
Thu 02.02.23

In this three-part lecture series, Ahilan Ratnamohan explores the impact of language on society, drawing on his own experience of learning Tamil. Kaaitheater presents Part I, Parts II and III at the Passa Porta festival and Kunstenfestivaldesarts. 

The Wonders of Multilingualism #4

Language and Power

conversations

Language and Power
Language and Power
Kaaistudio's
Tue 09.05.23

In this fourth instalment of 'The wonders of multilingualism', we talk about language and power. Each time, this series explores a different aspect of our multilingual society. Short artistic interventions fuel the conversations, both in group and among themselves.

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

Ahilan Ratnamohan
Ahilan Ratnamohan

artist

Kaaitheater artist-in-residence 2023-2025