Top African theater festival brings struggles onstage

Adekambi Carlos Zinsou and Edoxi Lionelle Gnoula are literally standing in a spotlight in a sandy backyard in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. It is pitch black around them. They're rehearsing scenes from the play "May Our Children Be Giants" ("Que Nos Enfants Soient des Geants"). Gnoula's character, Elvire, is urging her husband Madiba, played by Zinsou, to finally enter politics to provide a comfortable life for the family. However, he feels increasingly pressured by her and criticizes her for drinking too much whiskey. Conflicts are inevitable and escalate more and more.

One of Africa's most important theater festivals

The play, by Beninese director Sedjro Giovanni Houansou, is about self-determination and finding the right place in society. It can be seen during the "Recreatrales" theater festival, which runs until November 5 and is one of the most important theater gatherings on the entire African continent.

Weeks before it began, numerous artists had the opportunity to come to Ouagadougou, where they rehearsed and exchanged ideas. The festival also provides many people with work, says actress Gnoula, who is from Burkina Faso and has already participated several times in the festival. "It's an integral part of our cultural scene," she said.

It's hard to imagine the Gounghin district of Ouagadougou without Recreatrales. Small private theaters have sprung up in backyards along a sandy street of almost one kilometer (0.6 miles), which was renamed "Rue des Recreatrales" last year.

Children watch the rehearsals after school. Cats and chickens run around. "The theater builds connections with local people. It's close and there for people. That's what makes it so extraordinary and special," says Gnoula. Audiences are given the opportunity to come into direct contact with the artists. Possible barriers do not arise in the first place, and the festival becomes "theater for everyone."

In addition to the plays, readings and concerts are held in the evenings. Many of the performances address everyday issues that many people identify with, such as the question of self-determination. The musical lecture "La Foufoune Not So in Love Ces Jours-Ci," for example, addresses the issue of sexual self-determination.

A country's struggles brought to the stage

However, one theme dominates the 12th edition of the Recreatrales festival, which was founded in 2002: the brutal violence in the Sahel region. In Burkina Faso alone, some two million people have been forced to flee due to attacks by terrorists and robberies by armed gangs.

"With terrorism in the north, the country is going through a difficult time right now. You can no longer ignore this in today's art," says director Serge Aime Coulibaly, who was directing at Munich's Kammerspiele until mid-October. Now he is working with women and young people, all of them amateurs from Gounghin, who are onstage for "Wake in the Sahel" (Une Veillee au Sahel).

The play tells of the uprising of a group of women who no longer accept violence, indifference and inaction. The women are fighting for a better future.

For Aristide Tarnagda, the director of the festival, it is not only about making grievances visible. He is sure that drama can also help people come to terms with what they have experienced. That's why internally displaced persons also play a part. "In addition, the plays should be the basis for analyses of what is happening right now," says Tarnagda.

Very long theater tradition

It is no coincidence that a pan-African theater festival is taking place in Burkina Faso. Since 1969, filmmakers have met every two years in Ouagadougou for FESPACO, the continent's largest film festival.

Smaller gatherings, such as FITMO, an international puppet and theater Festival, have also sprung up, especially in the capital and Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city, a five-hour drive southwest. Former President Thomas Sankara also contributed to the enthusiasm for theater. During his term in office — Sankara was assassinated in 1987 and today is the country's national hero — he had amphitheaters built in many cities.

But Sankara's successor, the long-term ruler Blaise Compaore, who was deposed in 2014, let many venues fall into disrepair, including the Theatre Populaire in Ouagadougou. Tall trees and a wild garbage dump were the result.

Martin Pockrandt, director of the Goethe-Institut in Ouagadougou, sometimes leads a tour of the site. "There was trash here; it was full of junk. It was just also insanely dilapidated," he says, stopping again and again. Slowly, the place is being turned back into a theater. The large stage is accessible, as are the rooms behind it and the benches. Later, when lights are also installed, more than 2,500 spectators will be able to see performances. That, too, says Pockrandt, is a step toward preserving Burkina Faso's theater tradition.

This article has been translated from German.