Equilibrium 37
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In his performance, “Equilibrium” Henok confronts the continued hegemony of the English language. Having grown up in Ethiopia it was imprinted upon him that the ability to speak and read English signifies power and status. Getachew stands up and after reading intuitively chosen entries from the Oxford English Dictionary tears out the page, crumbles it, and stuffs it under his clothes. The words transform from ideas spoken out loud to being embodied in the literal sense by Getachew. He confronts the “everythingness” of the dictionary, one that has followed him from classroom to classroom, a constant reminder, and emblem of the importance paid to this particular language above others. This small act of rebellion allows him to confront the global colonial history. Finally, he stands in front of the Humboldt Forum on a small pedestal, posed, filled with knowledge, a temporary sculpture, demanding to be seen. ( Text by Julie Gaspard )
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