Eleusis 2023 - Mystery_11: Ma

The European Capital of Culture (ECoC) is an annual initiative that aims to highlight the diverse cultural wealth of European cities, and in this way help its citizens better identify with each other. This year, Elefsina—along with Veszprém (Hungary) and Timisoara (Romania)—holds the title and presents a rich cultural agenda over the course of a year.

The programme’s name, The Mysteries of Transition, was inspired by the Eleusinian Mysteries. These were secret religious practices held in Elefsina during antiquity to honour the goddess Demetra. Makes sense that each event on the programme was therefore dubbed a Mystery. The festival’s cultural agenda is built around three thematic axes: Environment, Labour, and People and Society, and includes 130 artworks, 465 events (Mysteries) in 30 different city sites, and 17 different types of art by 192 Greek and 137 international artists from 30 countries.

Ma is the latest creation of Italian director and playwright Romeo Castellucci, who is known for his intense, avant-garde style. This “walking experience/performance” has been especially created to take place at the archaeological site of Elefsina. In ancient times during the Eleusinian Mysteries, only two groups of people were forbidden to participate: matricides and barbarians (Greeks used the term “barbarian” for all non-Greek-speaking people, to emphasise their otherness.) In Ma, Castellucci flips the narrative and presents us with a main character who is both “barbarian” and has committed matricide, and who is on a quest for healing and reconciliation. Throughout the performance, live singing adds a powerful dimension to the story. Castellucci draws parallels between our disconnection from nature, Mother Earth, and the consequences of our actions on the environment.

Click here for a selection of some of Eleusis 2023’s events that will be taking part throughout the year.