Slovakia – What’s the Story, Mum?

My Mum was born into ‘one of those countries’ that do not exist anymore.
The land still exists, the language exists, the people still exist-but also not.

She was born into a place she needed to leave.
Leaving means loosing-leaving means change-means making a decision.
Leaving behind makes space for sth new, I am part of that sth new.

She never talks about that time she left -the time before-
When I ask she does not know what to answer.
Like she and her mother, the two of us live in different countries.
The other day I received a package with a photo book,
With pictures of her from the old times.
On of the pictures she is sitting on a butterfly chair, holding a book in her hands.
On the back of this photo she has written with her distinct handwriting:
Diese Stuhl hab ich gekauft von mein erstes Gehalt
Ich würde mich freuen wenn du ihn brauchen Kannst.

K: This chair, the chair from the photo is now standing in a living room in Brussels.
P: Her chair, orange, modern, looks like a butterfly, it was designed in Buenos Aires.
It’s standing by the window, surrounded by plants. It’s actually not very comfortable to sit on…..

1968: Sowjetische Truppen marschieren in die Tschechoslowakei ein. Eine Periode der Hoffnung und des Sozialismus wird schlagartig beendet, auch Prager Frühling genannt. Eine junge Frau erhebt sich von ihrem Stuhl und beschließt, ihr Land zu verlassen. Andere beschließen, zu bleiben. In „Slovakia – What’s the Story, Mum“ geht um eine Tochter, die versucht, die Geschichte ihrer Mutter zu verstehen. Es geht um Freiheit, Mut und Unverwüstlichkeit, um Fürsorge und Chaos, und es geht um das Heute.

Dauer: ca. 1 Std. 20 Min.
Sprache: Deutsch, Englisch, Slowakisch