Mattia Cason, Alessandro Conte, Muhammad ‘Abd al-Mun‘im

On the Paths of Europe

90 min

#co-produced projects#site-specific

2023

If there is one concept that matches ‘civilization’ it must be ‘discontent’. ‘Civilization and its discontents’ as one of the key texts of this ‘civilization’ suggests. The title is a translation, as if to say civilization is a patchwork of cultures, a migration of ideas, customs, values and rituals, their transversals, and transpositions. Still, civilization seems to ‘need’ ‘the other’, imagined or perceived differences and biases, to be itself an imagined or perceived community and unity. It seems to ‘need’ roots. And borders. And fences. And walls. And if, instead of clinging onto roots, it was to follow paths?

On the Paths of Europe is a first possible translation of a text which has two titles, two authors, two completely different stories, but it is, indeed, one. First, there is a 15th century Syrian manuscript focusing on the adventures of Alexander the Great in Africa and Asia. Secondly, a more recent novel by a Syrian refugee who put into words his hazardous journey from Aleppo to Ljubljana. Translating all this into movements and images, the show can be described as a ‘Kinoteatr’ experiment.

They found Europe. Europe lost itself.

E On The Paths Of Europe Rozna Dolina 2024 8 4 Nova Gorica Slovenia MB1 5506 Photo Metod Blejec

E On The Paths Of Europe Sabotin 2024 7 24 Sabotin Slovenia MB1 4396 Photo Metod Blejec 1

E On The Paths Of Europe Sabotin 2024 7 24 Sabotin Slovenia MB1 4412 Photo Metod Blejec 1

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Roots are not to be dismissed. They too narrate a story of becoming, and manufacturing, of territory, and identity, personally-politically and communally-politically. They seem least 'natural' when the argument of 'naturality' is used. Normalized to the point of 'naturality'. Discourse on roots seems to privilege some roots over others in favour of uniqueness, or purity, the others it dismisses or disavows. Those 'need' to be retraced and reclaimed, for instance, the Afroasiatic roots of Europe, those in Africa and Asia, and those in Europe; historical, historically erased, and global, globally hidden.

Paths too narrate a story of becoming, and manufacturing, of property, and identity, personally-politically and communally-politically. They seem least 'legal' when the argument of 'legality' is used. Normalized to the point of 'legality'. Discourse on paths seems to privilege some paths over others in favour of borders, fences and walls, the others it dismisses or disavows. Those 'need' to be retraced and reclaimed to disclose and expose xenophobia at the intersection of race, gender, class as rooted in legality; structural, structurally enabled, and systematic, systematically enforced. A civilization of rights violating rights. A civilization of inclusion securing exclusion.

Civilization, as a concept, ideology, narrative and mythology, is a structural, differential condition as well as a historical, material consequence. The stress is not that it 'is' any of those but 'how' those work. The 'truth' of civilization is migration. It's a messy, noble hybrid. The trouble is that for many noble means pure. Civilization seems to 'need' difference as opposition, and then exclusion, persecution, extermination. As if roots weren't interdependent on other roots. Driven by xenophobia, it can abandon noble standards in favour of violence. Driven by noble standards, it can turn those into a violent obscenity. Such is the case of modernity, the age of 'reason' at the intersection of capitalism and colonialism. Ultimately, civilization is the power to discipline who or what is civilization, who or what has the right to have rights, culture and so on, the power over life and death. It's noble in as much as it can guarantee universal dignity and justice.

In my early twenties I walked in the Samaria desert. I knew I was going south, towards Jericho, but I miscalculated timings and distances, and found myself in the middle of nowhere with the sun setting. I kept walking. I passed by an Israeli settlement, but my conscience did not allow me to stop. Immediately afterwards, I passed by some Bedouin tents. The dogs started barking, children started shouting at me: “A Jew! A Jew!”. Then, a man came. I tried to explain to him, gesturing, that I needed a place for the night. He looked at me straight in the eyes, without saying a word. Then, he invited me to sit together around the fire, and offered dinner and a mattress under the stars. That night I did not sleep; I cried. It felt like I had understood it all.

Mattia Cason

reference

The fact is that the so-called European civilization—'Western' civilization—as it has been shaped by two centuries of bourgeois rule, is incapable of solving the two major problems to which its existence has given rise: the problem of the proletariat and the colonial problem; that Europe is unable to justify itself either before the bar of 'reason' or before the bar of 'conscience'; and that, increasingly, it takes refuge in a hypocrisy which is all the more odious because it is less and less likely to deceive.

Europe is indefensible.

—Aimé Césaire

Those few refugees who insist upon telling the truth, even to the point of 'indecency', get in exchange for their unpopularity one priceless advantage: history is no longer a closed book to them and politics is no longer the privilege of Gentiles. They know that the outlawing of the Jewish people in Europe has been followed closely by the outlawing of most European nations. Refugees driven form country to country represent the vanguard of their peoples—if they keep their identity. For the first time Jewish history is not separate but tied up with that of all other nations. The comity of European peoples went to pieces when, and because, it allowed its weakest member to be excluded and persecuted.

—Hannah Arendt

bio

Mattia Cason is (since 2025) the artistic director and (since 2021) a member of the contemporary dance ensemble En–Knap Group. His authorial projects are developed within the broader artistic platform E for Europe, which explores contemporary European realities through site-specific performance formats and interdisciplinary approaches. His dance works have been included in the official programme of GO! 2025 and in the programmes of the Vicino/Lontano festival, where they are performed in border areas and situated within specific spatial and socio-political contexts. In doing so, he pursues a central artistic vision: to move beyond the conventional theatre stage and function as a powerful discursive and public act. Cason works as a dancer, actor, choreographer and director; in 2021, he received the Premio Scenario for the concept of his original performance Le Etiopiche. With background in anthropology, he explores images of both the contemporary and past Europe, which he conveys through the pre-logical language of the body.

Born in Arpino (Italy), Alessandro Conte is a multidisciplinary artist who deals with theatrical composition and socio-cultural crafts. Trained first as a plastic and visual artist, and then as an actor, in the past 20 years, he has experienced theatre and cinema in all their different aspects: as performer, technician, stage director, screenplay writer and dramaturg. In recent years he has shifted his decennial sectorial competences into a wider ecological and anthropological horizon, where he is increasingly dedicated to the study of habitats and the socio-cultural dramaturgy, through which they are textured, to the dialogue between human and non-human entities, and to the development of communities.

Born in Aleppo (Syria) to Palestinian parents, Muhammad ‘Abd al-Mun‘im graduated in Economics (University of Aleppo). In 1994, he established a publishing house, focusing on the translations of European classics, as well as innovative contemporary Middle Eastern authors. In 2016, he was forced to flee Syria under pressure from the regime’s secret service, and, after traveling through Turkey and the Balkans, he reached Ljubljana. Since, he has written many articles for the local newspapers, and two books: the already published short story The Long Shadow (2019), and the yet-to-be published novel On the Paths of Europe.

credits

Concept, text and choreography Mattia Cason

Dramaturgy Alessandro Conte

Performed by Mattia Cason, Alessandro Conte, Muhammad 'Abd al-Mun'im

Original text in Arabic Muhammad 'Abd al-Mun'im

Lighting design Alessandro Conte

Video Mattia Cason, Alessandro Conte, Francesco Sossai, Alberto De Nart, Andrej Lamut, Federico Boni, Stefano Bergomas

Video Editing Mattia Cason, Alessandro Conte

Animation Alessandro Conte, Sergio D'Innocenzo

Costume design Katarina Markov (Atelje d.o.o), Claudia Cavagnis (La Cruna dell'Ago), Paola D'Incà (Fuori dai Piedi), Andrea Ferletic

Props Diego Cason, Katarina Markov, Vladimir Vodeb, Andrea Ferletic

Translations Mattia Cason, Gianfrancesco Lusini, Špela Trošt, Luke Thomas Dunne, Giacomo Klein

Production Mattia Cason, Alessandro Conte

Co-produced En–Knap Productions

Španski Borci Cultural Centre director, En–Knap Productions programme manager and head of productions Marjeta Lavrič

En–Knap Productions managing director, Španski Borci Cultural Centre and En–Knap Group artistic director Iztok Kovač

Executive producer Karmen Keržar

Communication strategy and text Dražen Dragojević

Communication executive Valerija Intihar

Design Marko Damiš

Program management and coordination of educational activities Katja Gabrijelčič

Head of finance Julija Travančić

En–Knap Productions and Španski Borci Cultural Centre (En–Knap Productions as administrator) are supported by: City of Ljubljana – Department of Culture, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia