Fluid Views: The Sworn Virgin

Qendra Multimedia Pristina

Duration: 60’

18+

Performed in Albanian, with Hungarian, Romanian and English surtitles

Directed by: Erson Zymberi

Author: Jeton Neziraj 

Actors: Tringa Hasani, Semira Latifi, Kushtrim Qerimi 

Set design: Bekim Korça

Music: Trimor Dhomi 

Choreography: Gjergj Prevazi 

Costumes: Yllka Brada 

Production Manager: Aurela Kadriu 

Light Design: Mursel Bekteshi 

Technical Support: Pajtim Krasniqi, Bujar Bekteshi 

Production Assistant: Flaka Rrustemi 

Video: Ilir Gjocaj

Photo: Agon Mehmeti

Sworn virgins are Albanian women who decide to live like men. After making this irreversibile decision, they give up on sex and their lives as women and start living like men, thus benefitting some of the privileges that in that region are reserved for males only.

The Western research approach to the phenomenon of Albanian sworn virgins has mostly been exotic, like a look of the “civilized world” at the “uncivilized” one. Everyone, especially international media, but also researchers from the disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology, Ethnography, to name a few, has exploited this phenomenon. A sort of intimacy guaranteed to the sworn virgins by the very fact of becoming so, was, all of a sudden, exposed to the media and the wider audience –– an exposure that brought no benefit to the sworn virgins but rather the contrary –– in many cases they were portrayed in the light of primitivism and as ‘relics’ of an extremely patriarchal society. However, for many of these women, dressing like a man and becoming a sworn virgin was an act of emancipation. They associate this act with the idea of “freedom”. Dave King referred to the phenomenon as “gender migration,” comparing it to the geographical migration.

The Sworn Virgin speaks about the phenomenon of the sworn virgins, in light of the current debate on gender issues. It addresses the concept of freedom, respectively the lack of it in societies with different values, concepts and social constructs.

SWORN VIRGIN is part of Fluid Views, the festival section co-curated with the identity. Education NGO from Timișoara

Online tickets: https://ticket.tm-t.ro/en

Opening hours of the ticket office: 11:00-19:00 daily during the festival

A Q&A FOR THE PUBLIC WILL BE ORGANISED AFTER THE PERFORMANCE.