Jakob Ribič on Saint Joan of the Stockyards, “E-CIBS”, January 20 2025

Saint Joan in Ljubljana: A Call for Rebellion
Jakob Ribič, “E-CIBS”, January 20th 2025
https://e-cibs.org/2025/01/20/saint-joan-in-ljubljana-a-call-for-rebellion-by-jakob-ribic/
“[…] two particularly successful interventions. First, casting Laibach as the Black Hats introduced the possibility of integrating songs into the performance, which aligns perfectly with Brecht’s aesthetic. At the same time, this choice added an additional interpretive layer to the Black Hats. They were portrayed as a proto-fascist group, marching fanatically and obediently to the rhythm of a higher ideal—currently religion, but soon to be fascism.
The second intervention relates to language. The performance was staged in four different languages—English, German, Italian, and Slovene. This not only enhanced the Brechtian Verfremdungseffekt but also opened up a multitude of interpretive possibilities. Two examples stand out:
First, isn’t there a subtle nod to Al Capone in the Italian-speaking Mauler, the capitalist from Chicago whose bloody business practices in the late 1920s became infamous? Second, by having characters speak in multiple languages, doesn’t the performance suggest that the exploitative conditions of capitalism are not confined to any one nation but are endemic to Western society as a whole?
This would imply that Joan’s revolutionary fight against exploitation and oppression by the wealthy elite is not just her struggle—it is, in fact, a shared battle for all of us!”