“It's not a snipers bullet, this story. It's a bomb.”

Gripping musical tale in which actress & race storyteller Lotte Heijtenis musters the courage to tell a personal story that can no longer be hushed up.

“The voice is central to Lalaei, in all its facets: as a comforting source of security but also as a speaker of truth, as an instrument of resistance.”

Evelyne Coussens in Etcetera.

In the musical narrative Lalaei, Iranian singer Sarah Akbari, percussionist Karen Willems and the musicians of Zwerm take us to the Middle East and actress & storyteller Lotte Heijtenis finds the courage to tell us a personal story that can no longer be hushed up. We explore the dark edges of seemingly innocent songs used to lull children around the world to sleep. We do so using a mythical story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The story of Procne, queen, dutiful daughter, obedient wife, and loving mother. Until the day she discovers that a terrible injustice has been done to her sister

Lalaei touches on topical themes such as standing up against injustice, #metoo... which also cut across the lifeworld of young adults. That is why this gripping storytelling concert is also recommended for 14 to 18-year-olds. A ‘must-see’ performance, according to the students and teachers of Pius X College from Antwerp.

“Despite the impressive on-stage arsenal of electronics, the unconventional mix of sounds and chants, there is nothing high brow about Lalaei; this is not an insider's concert. Everything flows naturally and feels extraordinarily ‘artisanal’ - tangible, and corporeal.” (Evelyne Coussens, Etcetera #167)

“Really a very special performance, which I would love to see a second time.” Veronique Rubens, Espresso (Radio Klara)

The performance is narrated in Dutch (Lotte Heijtenis) or English (Marie Phillips). Singing will be in Turkish, Kurdish, Hebrew and Persian, among other languages.

Song lyrics

لای لای پیت که رو به تورکی وانی

ئینجا توخوا بووسی دله کم تابو به یانی

ئینجا هوارم که رده ن به شیخ شاه بدین

هرکی تو مشو روله گیان گنو زمین

I sing a lullaby in my mother's language.
And rock you into a deep sleep.
I pray for you my dearest, in the temple Sha Bedin,
Because like you, there is only one.

روله خوشه ویست؛ بینایی چاوم
هیزی ئه ژنوم و هیوای ژیانم
هه تا دییته؛ وه هر چاوه ریتم
هه لورکی منالیت هه ر راده ژه نم
لای لای نه مامی ژیانم؛ من وینه ی باخوانم
به دل چاودیریت ده که م؛ بخه وه ده ردت له گیانم
هی لایه لایه؛ کورپه ی شیرینم لایه

بنوه تاکوو سبه ینی؛ مژده ی ئاواتم دینی
ئه ی به ر خوله ی شیرینم؛ ئاواتی هه موو ژینم
شه وی تاریک نامینی؛ تیشکی روژ دیته سه ری
هی لایه لایه؛ کورپه ی شیرینم لایه
بنوه ئاسو رووناکه؛ دیاره وه ک خور روووناکه
دیاره وه ک خور رووناکه
سه د خوزگه به خوزگایه؛ دایکی تو لیره بوایه

Sleep, sleep,
Give your sorrows, your aches and pains to me.
Sleep, sleep,
The dark night that passes.

Soon, my child,
Dispels the sun's winter chill.
Just your daddy,
Ah, ah, if only he were here with me, with you.

مو كه از پاكي دلم چي آسمونه
ندونم سيچه چينو وام سرگرونه
سي چينو وام سرگرونه

سر به صحرا بنم از بي همزبوني
سخته تهنا مندن و درد زمونه
تهنا با درد زمونه

دل گرونيم همه جا به هر دياره
ار كوير سهدهيه ار لاله زاره

ار چي اورا ندراي به آسمونم
دشت جونم تشنه و بي چشمه ساره
دي پوييزم بي بهاره

My heart is loyal and as light as the sky
Why is he ignoring me?
Why is he so cold?
I need to get out of here.
Not a living soul to whom I can vent my heart.
I no longer tolerate the pain,
The fear, the disappointment, over and over again.

Dandini dandini dastana
Danalar girmiş bostana
Kov bostancı danayı
Yemesin lahanayı

Dandini dandini danali bebek
Allari kollari kanali bebek
Kov bostancı danayı
Yemesin lahanayı

Dandini, Dandini, dastana,

Oh dear, there are cows in the garden.

Chase them away, gardener, chase them away,

Because they eat all the coal!

Dandini, dandini, all calves
Look, they have henna on their paws.
Chase them away, gardener, chase them away,
Soon all the coal will be gone!

سیزینچه اِیلدم های غربت اختیار

مدت دِر دیشمیشم های اِلِمنن کنار

دیشدم توقیتی شهرنه

انه جوشغون چایلارا دیشدم

نه اوزاق یوللارا دیشدم

نه جلاد اللره دیشدم

نه جلاد اللره دیشدم نه جوشغون چایلارا دیشدم

منه گئرگ دَمر دیی داش دیی

منه گئرگ هر عاشقدن باش دیی

هرنه گلمیش روزگاردان خوش دیی

های وای من اِللَم قشنگ قِز های

For you, I have severed ties with my people,
For you, I live like an exile.
I swam through terribly choppy waters,
Walked along endless roads,
And became the plaything of savages.
You may think my heart is made of stone.
But I accepted life as it came.
It won't be long now before I die.
My beautiful little girl.

יַלְדָּתִי,

נוּמִי, נוּמִי, נִים!

נוּמִי, נוּמִי, קְטַנָּתִי,

נוּמִי, נוּמִי, נִים!

אַבָּא הָלַךְ לָעֲבוֹדָה -

הָלַךְ הָלַךְ אַבָּא!

יָשׁוּב עִם צֵאת הַלְּבָנָה -

יָבִיא לָךְ מַתָּנָה!

נוּמִי, נוּמִי, יַלְדָּתִי...

Sleep, sleep, my little girl.
Sleep but sleep, my little one.
Your father went to work
He is far away from here.
But soon when the moon is in the sky.
Does he bring something really nice for you.
Sleep, sleep...

لالا لالا گل گللشن لالایی

کاکو اومد چشام روشن لالایی

لالا لالا گل خشخاش لالایی

کاکو رفته خدا همراش لالایی

لالا لالا گل نعنا لالایی لالایی

بابات رفته شدم تنها لالایی

ال مرغ سفید خونه من

حلالت باشه آب و دونه من

به هر سرچشمه ای آبی بنوشی

بکن یاد از دل دیوونه من

لالا لالا گل هر روزه من

لالا لالا نماز و روزه من

Lalaei, my flower child,
Your big brother was the light that shone in my eyes.
Lalaei, my lily, your big brother, he is no more.
God rest his soul, lalaei.
Lalaei, my rose mint
Your father, too, is no more.
I am alone now, motherly alone.

لالا گمه ته ره خو بیره

لالالالای ته فدا

تموم دشت و صحرا ره او بیره

لالالای ته فدا

لالا لالا ته چش خو بیره

لالا لالا دتر بخسه

مه جان دلبر

I'll sing you a lullaby
Which will make you sleep-deprived.
My little eye apple, my everything.
Sleep, sleep a deep sleep.

When soon the whole world ends
Then I hold you in my arms.
My little eye apple, my everything.
Sleep, sleep a deep sleep.

And dream, dream a beautiful dream
Lalaei, my little girl
My little eye apple, my everything.
Sleep, sleep a deep sleep