Studium Generale organiseerde 25 januari 2019 een event naar aanleiding van de Nashville-verklaring, het pamflet tegen het homohuwelijk waarin wordt gesuggereerd dat homoseksuele gevoelens te ‘genezen’ zijn, en de ondertekening daarvan door een aantal streng christelijke Nederlanders onder wie SGP-kopstuk Kees van der Staaij. We vroegen ons af hoe te reageren op zo’n verklaring. Als individu, kunstenaar en als instituut. Dit gedicht van João da Silva werd tijdens de bijeenkomst voorgelezen.
Rest little voice of the past
And I will put you to sleep, little voice of the past
And rest you will find, little voice of the past
When rest arrives at this present.
One moment, little one,
The voice of the past will rest in you
When the present becomes little rest
And the voice of the past speaks to you, softly
When the past no longer is a part of then
But little rest in today.
Rest little voice of the past
And I will put you to rest within the present of me
As I listen, little by little, to voice of little past
Of little body
Of little voice of rest.
Rest little voice of today
In the past of the body
Resting in little room
Filled with little voices of today.
I will put you to rest in tomorrow,
Little voice of the past,
For now there is no rest in the body,
Now there is no rest in today.
Rest little voice, rest
And I will put you to rest, side by side,
Little by little, now and then,
Little voice of the past
And I will muffle you
Little voice of the past
With cotton pads of rest.
Little voice of today, rest,
As I breathe the echo of past
As voices of now arrest the rests of you
Passing through the remains of me.
As I voice the word of rest
As I arrest outside of me the rests of today
And today no longer is than longer is the past
As I rest in echoes of resting
Within the littleness of me
Beyond the breath of life
Now
As I rest
As you rest, little voice
Grasping for breath
To become two voices
Or maybe three
Within body of no rest.
Rest little voice of silence, rest.
Dr. João da Silva is a queer movement artist and educator with a background in Experimental Dance, Choreography, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Theatre Studies. Currently he is senior lecturer and research fellow at ArtEZ University of the Arts.
