Another face of the Democratic Republic of Congo

"Ça se passe à Kin", another face of the Democratic Republic of Congo

"It's happening at Kin

"Ça se passe à Kin", another face of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Le Tarmac des Auteurs is organising the forthcoming It's happening in Kin. This takes place from 1 to 8 June 2018 in Kinshasa. This 8th edition is intended to be open to Central Africa, echoing the last writing workshop organised by the Tarmac, in order to get audiences to change the image they have of the region and more specifically of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Le Tarmac des Auteurs is a theatre in Kinshasa, located in the working-class district of Kintambo. It is dedicated to the development of theatrical writing: writing that is original and contemporary, resulting in original works. This is Tarmac's main mission, because writing and thinking are the foundations of theatre. To achieve this, it supports playwrights by giving them a framework and organising writing workshops, thanks in part to the support of Africalia, a partner of the structure for over ten years. " We want to develop a breeding ground for young Congolese playwrights so that the Congolese can take ownership of their theatre. "explains Israël Tshipamba, artistic director of the Tarmac des Auteurs, as well as author, director and actor. In addition, the Tarmac des Auteurs hosts companies in creative residency and trains actors. " Few companies in our country have a place to work and they have neither the means to create nor to travel to see what is being done elsewhere. "deplores Israel. " That's why every year we welcome between four and five local companies to work in our space, and put them in touch with foreign directors. "Plays by Congolese authors such as "Te voir dresser" by Fiston Mwanza Mujila and "Histoire générale des murs" by Sinzo Aanza have been staged together by well-known directors and local companies such as Mapendo. By giving them the opportunity to assist directors such as Philip Boulay and Guy Theunissen, these young people can immerse themselves in the profession and understand how to approach a text, how to direct actors, which trains them and prepares them for more important collaborations. And this approach is the same for actors. Le Tarmac des Auteurs involves them in the creative process to complete their training and enables them to put into practice what they have studied at school. Good governance, a subject that inspires authors

At the last writing workshop in 2017, Tarmac asked the authors to tackle the subject of governance. Why such a subject? Because Central Africa has had eight presidents, with a combined total of more than two hundred years in power, while West Africa has succeeded in building real democracies. As the economic stakes are high in the Central region, heads of state do not relinquish power easily. The authors invited to this residency come from the DRC, including David-Minor Ilunga, Sinzo Aanza and Merdi Muintshe Mukore, but they are not the only ones. Others from neighbouring countries have also been invited: Merline Ntamengouro from Burundi, Dieudonné Niangouna from Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Schoufo and Elvis Vuma from Cameroon. Tarmac has also invited other authors to bring an outside perspective to the issue of governance, including Laetitia Ajanohun, a Belgian-Beninese, and Hakim Bah from Guinea. They all took a critical but also poetic look at the situation, and some extraordinary texts came out of it. Some deal with the situation in prisons or in particular countries/regions; others with human rights violations, massacres and wars, the end of presidential terms of office...". The playwrights let themselves go!" says Israël, who is keen to point out that "the idea is to have plays that question the audience but that also serve as historical tools for future generations. " Some of the scripts written during the writing workshops are then worked on by the directors and companies in residence, so that they can be programmed during the festival. It's happening in Kin as well as in the annual programme. It's happening in Kinan authentic festival

It's happening in Kin is a festival that gives a voice to young authors and 80% of the plays programmed are premieres. " If we want Kinshasa to be a crossroads, a place where people meet and exchange ideas, the city must first and foremost be a place of discovery. "says Israël. This 8th edition features five new productions, most of which were written during the 2017 writing residency. The shows announced are created during the creative residency in April-May and then performed for the very first time at the beginning of June. This artistic risk-taking is fully assumed by the team. " In terms of theatre, it's a showcase. There are hardly any theatre festivals left in Central Africa today. All the old festivals have stopped and It's happening in Kin is the only one that's been running for 8 years now. It's an opportunity for companies from the Congo and the region to meet the public, present their work and exchange ideas. "says Judith Tshienda, administrative and financial coordinator of Tarmac des Auteurs. In addition to these premieres, the festival is hosting other plays. They have a partnership with the Dolisi festival in Brazzaville to exchange shows. Finally, as the main mission of the Tarmac is to develop new writing, the authors also have the opportunity to present their text in the form of a reading, a moment that gives rise to exchanges and discussions on the form and content of their text. The need to involve the public These moments of exchange with the public are very important for the Tarmac des Auteurs. During residencies, the Tarmac opens its doors to local residents so that they can see how the artists work. Audience development remains a fundamental issue in several African countries. Tarmac is working on this by organising off-site tours to schools and universities. This gives artists the opportunity to perform their shows for longer and meet new audiences who do not necessarily have access to artistic creations. However, Tarmac's main battle today is to get programmers and festival directors to come to Kinshasa. The DRC remains a territory that is difficult to access and suffers from a bad reputation. The team is trying to change the image of their country and get people to discover their region. Because the DRC is full of unique, talented artists who just want to be seen and discovered. To show that Kinshasa is a living city. [/Audrey Brisack/]