– There is a closeness, a sisterhood between us on stage. Salamanca’s stories are reminiscent of my own experiences. Our backgrounds strengthen us both and our stories shine even brighter when we are next to each other, says Sofia Jannok.
The plot of this musical story is based on the artists’ own experiences, their families and the Sami and Roma culture.
National borders that are closed, forced displacements, families that are divided, laws that govern how you can live, racism. All this affects both the Sami and Roma communities. On stage, they also have the help of Robert Svärd, flamenco guitarist.
Jojk and flamenco go together
– Something that we quickly discovered, already on the first day of rehearsal, is how well the joik fits together with the flamenco. You clap in the same way and at the same pace, it was very easy to make a joik to Salamanca’s clapping hands, says Sofia Jannok.
The tour started a little over a week ago and runs until mid-May from Kiruna in the north to Malmö in the south.
– I take the Roma nomadic life and do it in a very modern way. I have exchanged the caravan for a hotel room, I stand on stage and sing and play as my grandmother did at folk parks and dance floors all over Sweden. I now do that regularly on the stages of the National Theatre, says Salamanca Taikon Gonzalez.
– What I take with me from this is that I have a friend forever, not just Salamanca but her entire culture, says Sofia Jannok.