Minä & OGOI

Written and directed by
Hanna Ojala

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KokoTeatteri / Koko Theatre 2025
 

Me & Ogoi explores the most intimate and embodied history of Finnish women — birth, childbirth, and the societal forces shaping them.

Set in late 1918, in the aftermath of the Finnish Civil War, the play moves between the Midwifery Institute in Helsinki and rural Karelia, where modern medical obstetrics collides with an older, ritual-based childbirth culture. In this time of transition, tensions between class, gender, and worldview emerge.

Newly qualified midwife Anna arrives in Karelia determined to spread modern hygiene practices, but is met with fierce resistance. Her strongest opponent is Ogoi, a traditional, self-taught birth attendant whose authority is deeply rooted in the community. Yet Anna cannot return to Helsinki, as she carries a painful secret tied to her training. At the bedsides of delivering women, Anna and Ogoi clash over methods — until Anna discovers that Ogoi, too, has something to hide.

The play examines the aftermath of the Civil War, the patriarchal foundations of early women’s medicine, and the suppression of Karelian women’s culture under public health reform — while tracing prejudice, moral conflict, and the fragile possibility of trust between women.

Cast Aija Pahkala, Julia Lappalainen, Elina Kivioja, Antrea Kantakoski, Reetta Heisto, Kai Bäckström, Jussi Lehtonen, Karlo Haapiainen, Karin Pennanen
Composer Juuso Voltti 
Light Design Riina Mäkinen
Set Design Hanna Ojala
Costume Design  Kantakoski & Ojala
Graphic Design + Trailer Jussi Virkki & Ojala
Photos Eveliina Lappi, Lili-Ella Siekkinen