óMNIRA

The piece is inspired by Ritsos' monologue of "Farewell" which was written in March 1957, when the heroic death of the Cypriot rebel Afxentiou, came as a shock for all people who supported democratic ideals. In this monologue the poet unfolds and reflects the inner struggle of Afxentiou in its den. The Cypriot revolutionist, envisioning a better world, is choosing to self-sacrifice, same time overcoming the human need for survival.

This project vocabulary is mainly based on Afro-Brazilian dance, unfolding the idea through a strong, repetitive movement structure. Audience is invited to embody the vibrating landscape in order to discover how a common pulse rules our daily lives, and how this pulse can grow into a driving force towards transgression. The project explores how fear, self-doubt, anger have led us to social and psychological remissness and have turned us into alienated human beings.

In Yorubá African dialect, "Ómnira" means liberation. In "Farewell" Yiannis Ritsos describes with his own unique way the internal struggle of our hero within a process towards self-awareness. Through the conquest of himself, one may become Free. Prison for Afxentiou were the physical boundaries of a cave. Nevertheless his free spirit would never be enslaved even inside that cave.