Yael Bartana

In Bartana’s work, two ensembles from different diasporas come together in São Paulo—communities shaped by experiences of displacement that continue to carry their cultural traditions far from their place of origin: Coral Tradição, a Jewish-Brazilian choir, and Ilú Obá De Min, an Afro-Brazilian street music ensemble. Its members are descendants of Maroons—people who escaped enslavement. Their voices, rhythms, and movements intertwine to form a living community: quiet and meditative, loud and powerful. The Yiddish title Mir Zaynen Do! (We Are Here!) refers to a song of Jewish resistance during the Second World War. The performance is conducted by 97-year-old choir director Hugueta Sendacz. In the ruins of the Teatro de Arte Israelita Brasileiro, Bartana focuses on the collective now: on listening, togetherness and shared presence. Mir Zaynen Do! shows this moment of collective presence – community is created through shared action.