Reclaiming Voices
Reclaiming Voices is a ongoing work consisting of different mixed media work.
Jessica-Maria Nassif researched extensively the Code Talkers story, a group of Navajo Marines who designed a code based on their mother tongue and used it as a cryptologic tool during WWII against U.S enemies.
Taking this story as a base, Jessica explored in her thesis how the Code Talkers were designers by accident. She also questions the relationship U.S and Navajo and how it affects languages. From this analysis, Jessica questions the use, materiality and propagation of voice in today’s political and economical context revisiting Samuel Becket “Not I” set up during her performance.
For now Reclaiming Voices combines a performative installation and a thesis, however other pieces are currently being produced.
Reclaiming Voices - Performative Installation - 2020 - 10 minutes
︎ view excerpt
Listen to the performance (Coming Soon) ︎
Reclaiming Voices, Colonisation of the Navajo Language during WWII - Master thesis - Under the tutorship of Alexandra Midal - 2020
Photo credits : Raphaëlle Mueller
The Code Talkers were a group of Navajo Marines who designed a code based on their mother tongue and used it as a cryptologic tool during WWII against U.S enemies.
Nevertheless, the Navajo community wasn't citizens of the United States at that time and was forced by the U.S to disown their cultural heritage.
Nevertheless, the Navajo community wasn't citizens of the United States at that time and was forced by the U.S to disown their cultural heritage.
Reclaiming Voices explores how the Navajo language rendered almost extinct by the colonialist policies of the U.S. government later become the treasured weapon on the U.S. military. And analyses why was there such an interest in languages, and in humans beings as code makers and breakers during WWII, while cryptology machines were at their peak. ︎ pdf