Branden (Scorched) is a collective poem about the burning of home countries, about the fire and the smoke of armed conflict; which transforms humans into ‘refugees’. A poetic conversation with five women from different diasporas: about leaving… and (never) arriving. An ode to the displaced woman. Lisette Ma Neza is a poet with a camera. Her artistic practice is a constant attempt to translate herself and others. She transmutes the lives and feelings of the displaced, survivors of “great” violence, of Africans in Europe, of diasporas… of women. This research turns into poetic essays, spoken word, film and theatre. On March 21, 2024, she will start as the first ‘Public poet Brussels — Brussels stadsdichter — Poètesse de Bruxelles’.
“With Branden, I developed a new method; to interview people with stories that can be too difficult to tell. The poetic method of holding dialogues would allow us to address these experiences nonetheless. I formulated my questions during the interviews so that there would be a rhythm, and so that metaphors would emerge in the interviewees’ sentences. That’s how this poem came about.”
