What best helps to understand the portrait of the ethno-cultural region? Maybe historical and documentary material, maybe myths and folk wisdom, or maybe Internet forum archives and political party slogans? The creative team of the play "Žemaitėjė" carried out an artistic-historical study covering all of this in order to better understand what Žemaitija is for a modern resident of Lithuania.
Why not some other country? History shows that Žemaitija was the most autonomous region in the past, having the status of a principality. Scientists study and compare the unique heritage of the Žemaitians with other regions, poets write poems in the Žemaitian language, the years of dialects encourage us to get to know the treasures of the Žemaitian colloquialism that enrich the Lithuanian language, but to this day there are people who think that Žemaitija should repeat history, secede and become an independent state. .Of course, before that, the citizens of Zemaits should agree on which of the 4 versions of the region's flag is the most correct.
During the artistic research, the creators of the performance came across the masters of the folk art of Žemaia and the nurturers of folklore, who find it difficult to understand why a modern child no longer wants to play in the birbyny. The authors of "Žemaitėje" propose the idea that in order to want to preserve, protect and pass something on to future generations, we must first understand where the value of those traditions lies. In order for ethnographic songs and dances not to remain only a one-time, exotic performance at the Song Festival, but to become an integral part of everyday life and national identity, we must find a new way to talk about our past.
"We feel that our generation's approach to tradition and ethnography is very different from that of our parents and grandparents." We doubt whether everything should be preserved and cherished, we want to somehow adapt traditional elements to the modern world. There is much more to that Sami heritage than just the caste and the unique language, but how much do we know about it? Should we be satisfied only with what kind of portrait of the people of Žemaitsa is presented to us by "Dviračio žinios"?", asks Ieva Pakštytė, the co-author of the play.
The dramaturgical basis of the play-fantasy is strengthened by the scientific researches and publications of Lithuanian historians, ethnographers about the history and traditions of Žemaitija, their analyzes significantly expand our knowledge about what Žemaitija is. However, this historical information will take on mystical and mythical forms on the stage of the theater, passing through the personal filter of the young person's experiences. For the creators of a fragmentary, mosaic performance, it is important to look for their own relationship with the place where they live - Žemaitija.
"My mother and grandmother are real Žemaitians and speak Žemait, but I myself grew up on the border - in Šiauliai, Žemait traditions are not so deep in my everyday life. Meanwhile, Ieva grew up in Jonava, but has been living in Žemaitia for a long time. It is interesting and important for us to analyze how we could strengthen our connections with Žemaitija", thinks Rugilė Latvėnaitė, co-author of the play.
The show welcomes not only the people of Zema, but also the people of Auksaita, Suvalka, Dzuk and Mažlituvan - there will be relevant questions and unexpected discoveries for everyone.
