Huojuu elämän puu is a stage play and a concert made up of poems and songs from the 1940s to the present day. The themes of peace, war, violence and freedom intersect the whole performance, bringing poetry to the forefront of visible social resources.

Culture has a vital role to play in the climate of crises, threats and hate. At the beginning of 2022, writer Marja-Leena Mikkola together with the memory researcher and docent Ulla-Maija Peltonen invited a group of artists to consider whether poetry about war and peace could help think deeper in this increasingly militarising time period. This became the project that was named Huojuu elämän puu after the Katri Vala poem. The meetings and discussions of the working group resulted in the creation of an artistic entity that enables a communal gathering around poetry.

The performance includes works from twenty poets from Katri Vala and Aale Tynni to Bo Carpelan and Lassi Sinkkonen, Eeva-Liisa Manner and Eila Kivikk'aho to Olli Heikkonen and Niillas Holmberg. The poems are in Finnish, Swedish and Northern Sámi. The poems have been written over eight decades, and their authors represent different genders, ideologies and artistic ideas.

Poetry, memory knowledge and art serve as platforms for cultural memory. Wars are part of a difficult cultural heritage on which we must not remain silent. During a war, emotions and experiences cross linguistic boundaries, and many people are looking for a way to deal with their own emotions at a time of war in Ukraine, Gaza and around the world.

The performance premiered during the Kajaani Poetry Week on 6 July 2023.

Design and implementation of the work: Marja-Leena Mikkola, Ulla-Maija Peltonen, actor Kristiina Halkola, actor and singer Vuokko Hovatta, actor and director Jussi Lehtonen, music and performance artist Teea Aarnio, musician and composer Antti Kujanpää

The entire working group is on stage during the performance.

Poetry compositions and adaptations: Kaj Chydenius, Eero Ojanen ja Anna-Mari Kähärä, Teea Aarnio, Antti Kujanpää

Language: Finnish, Swedish and Northern Sámi

Duration 1 h 45 min, including intermission

Kaikukortti event

Huojuu elämän puu

The event “Huojuu elämän puu” has ended