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Who is Djoha?
Djoha is a folkloric figure who appears in Sephardic Jewish
folk tales as well as in Arabic ones. He’s a trickster whose
actions impart insight into the way the world works. Like a parable,
they present an indirect way to learn about life through the trials
and tribulations of a comedic character. Return
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What’s an example of a Djoha
story?
Djoha goes to his neighbor to borrow a pot in which to cook.
The neighbor loans Djoha the pot and the next day when Djoha brings
it back there’s another little pot inside. “Djoha,
you brought me back two pots,” says the neighbor and Djoha
tells him the pot gave birth. The following week Djoha asks to
borrow the pot again and the neighbor is delighted, hoping to
receive an additional pot in the bargain. A week passes and Djoha
doesn’t return the pot. Finally the neighbor goes looking
for him. “Where’s my pot?” the neighbor asks.
“You know the pot that gave birth?” says Djoha. “It
died.” Return to top
So the world is not always what
it seems?
With all the troubles we have in today’s world, we wanted
to explore the invisible reality of the neighborly bond, not just
for Arabs and Jews but for everyone. The relationship of neighbor
to neighbor is one of life’s pleasures, though conflict
always seems more newsworthy. Tales of Djoha is not a political
piece, but it does have political implications. These cultures
have much more in common than most people understand. Return
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What kind of research was done
for the show?
Artistic Director David Harris developed the show from field
work all over the world: North Africa, the Balkans, Israel, Spain
and Turkey. “I’m a musician and have learned songs
everywhere I’ve been. The colors and architecture of those
places have penetrated the songs and to sing them to my satisfaction
I must know what the landscape looks like.” Return
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What should audiences expect from
the show?
It will be funny and there will be fabulous music and dancing
and Turkish-style shadow puppetry. Most of the music is from Morocco,
Turkey and Israel, sung in a Judeo-Spanish dialect. It’s
transformative. It takes you away. When people come to one of
our shows they will learn about Sephardic Jews, but it’s
really about something much more universal. Return
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Tales
of Djoha: Frequent
Questions--Technical Requirements |
