The cemetery as the last place left to her? This is becoming apparent for Ramisa, although she is not yet 30 years old and has a frighteningly explosive life energy. In doing so, she not only overtaxes those around her, who need rest, but sometimes even herself. “Don’t be so exhausting,” her mother once told her, when Ramisa was still a student and the family still lived in Belgrade.
She grew up with the NATO bombing of her homeland
Ramisa is a Roma from Serbia. She grew up with the NATO bombing of her homeland. And had to experience how the hatred of the ethnic groups continued after the war, with the exclusion and disadvantage. She wanted to be a teacher. But “in Belgrade the racists only gave me cleaning jobs,” she railed.
And in Munich? She sweeps leaves in a cemetery, a one-euro job. She has lived in the city for nine years. Initially in the hope of being granted asylum. For a long time in fear of being deported. Her life has always been precarious, and now she doesn’t even have an apartment anymore. She lives where she works, among the tombstones. This city, Ramisa states bitterly, knows no mercy: “But neither do I!”
So she threatens in Denijen Pauljević’s radio play The snail grave house, which Ralf Haarmann staged: “I’ll mess with everyone.” She’ll stab this town and bleed to death. An insane rage speaks from Ramisa, played by Zeynep Bozbay. About the fact that she doesn’t get the chance to take her life into her own hands. About the fact that it should function according to rules that it does not understand. Pauljević alternates between aggressive monological and somewhat gentler dialogical passages. She is pretty merciless towards her mother (Jelena Kuljić), but she actually gets into conversation with a pastor and a visitor to the cemetery.
In moments like this, her brashness and aggressiveness turns out to be a facade that pushes her in front of her helplessness and helplessness. Ramisa would much rather have security, respect and a perspective than starting a revolution on her own behalf. But there seems to be no space and no time for that in this city.
The snail grave house, Bavaria 2, January 14, 2022, 9:05 p.m.