Fighting Online Hate: The Premiere of "DSCHUNGEL", featuring Rap duo EsRAP at the JKU Circus of Knowledge

There is a jungle of haters on social media and similar platforms.

The cast of DSCHUNGEL (f.l.: Esra Özmen, Enes Özmen, Barbara Novotny, Lucia Mauri), photo credit: Circus of Knowledge/JKU
The cast of DSCHUNGEL (f.l.: Esra Özmen, Enes Özmen, Barbara Novotny, Lucia Mauri), photo credit: Circus of Knowledge/JKU

Is there any way to effectively deal with this? What is the way out? A Viennese rap duo, EsRAP, will address this issue and more as part of a performance titled "DSCHUNGEL. CyberHurt/ Bytes & Pieces" premiering on November 15 at 7:00 PM at the JKU’ Circus of Knowledge. Admission is donation-based; kindly sign up in advance to attend by sending an e-mail to: jku.at/zirkus.

Hate speech on social media and other platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter) is commonplace, almost becoming the norm these days.

Today, hate speech skews digital communication and targets those who have different opinions, skin color, origins, religion, sexual orientation, or genders. However, exclusion and abuse in a digital context have real-life consequences, especially when it comes to children and teens.

The JKU’s Circus of Knowledge is addressing this pressing issue and, as part of a residency for the STARTS project GRIN, has created an in-house production titled "DSCHUNGEL. CyberHurt/ Bytes & Pieces".

The play involves a well-known Viennese rap duo, EsRAP (siblings Esra and Enes Özmen), joining forces with actress Barbara Novotny and choreographer Lucia Mauri to find a way out of a jungle of bullying, body shaming, prejudice, and cyber hate. Will they be able find their way out of the jungle?

Performances at the Circus of Knowledge open to the public: Premiere on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 7.00 PM; additional performances on Saturday, November 18, 2023, 3.00 PM, and Monday, November 20, 2023, 3.00 PM (each performance is approx. 70 minutes)

There are additional performance dates available especially for school classes. Admission to the Circus of Knowledge is donation-based. On account of limited seating, we ask that you kindly register in advance to attend: www.jku.at/zirkus-des-wissens, opens an external URL in a new window.

Production info:
DSCHUNGEL. CyberHurt / Bytes & Pieces

Suitable for ages 13+

By and featuring EsRAP Esra & Enes Özmen, Alejandra Benet, Lucia Mauri, Barbara Novotny.
Video: Sara Koniarek
Stage coordinator: Martina Winkel