medEia

Male gangs travel through rural Africa, marauding as they go; a rapping women’s choir celebrates in a ceremony of hope and solidarity. This is Brett Bailey’s “medEia”, in a version of the Greek tragedy by Dutch author Oscar van Woensel that begins in an isolated African village and moves to urban Europe: Medea, the high priestess of the village, yearns for something more than her sterile, isolated life. Gang leader Jason represents love, excitement and the light of civilisation. She flees with him to Europe, burning bridges in her wake. Experiences of xenophobia, and the isolation and displacement of immigrants in contemporary Europe form the backdrop to this passionate story of emancipation. Its fragmented, lyrical language is linked using pop-music by Radiohead, Coldplay and other bands. Like the performances in “Exhibit B”, “medEia” offers an unrivalled exploration of issues such as racism and identity in a world shaped by migration.