'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria

human histories, that the old were the teachers of the young, and the young helped the
old, unfortunately, is now destroyed. This is very sad. I think if humanity is willing to
survive, human beings have to find a way to get back to this organization, because it‟s the
only one that really works.
R.R.: And also, in the film, you say to your mother Lene: “Meine Mutter. Ich habe
schweigen gelernt, sagtest du. Von dir, habe ich sprechen gelernt. Muttersprache.” [“My
mother. I learned to be silent, you said. From you I learned to speak. Mother tongue”
(Sanders-Brahms, Film-Erzählung 112)]. Can you talk a little bit about the idea of
Muttersprache and the intergenerational dialogue?
H.S.-B.: Mothers are normally the people that teach children to speak, which, in a way, is
the greatest step a human being does in its life. Learning to speak is an incredible process
in the life of a child. I have seen that when I started to teach my child how to speak. And
when my child taught me how difficult and also how complex also this process of
learning is. It is incredibly rich and beautiful and it‟s an incredibly private lesson. It is
almost an exchange of love between two human beings at the same time, because love is
understanding each other, and teaching the languages, teaching understanding. This is
very different from what normal teachers do in schools and universities; it‟s a very
different work [task], because it‟s not possible to use a scientific approach. The approach
has to be sensual, it has to be loving, it has to be listening, and out of living, and being
sensual and touching, and feeling, and listening again, and forming again, and also using
hand and the touching of hands, and fingertips. It‟s very important; all this counts. And
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