'Balau': A rare Burkinabe-Congolese collaboration in Germany

Munich, Germany. It is here that the Münchner Kammerspiele municipal theater has invited Burkinabe choreographer Serge Aimé Coulibaly and Congolese writer Fiston Mwanza Mujila to collaborate on a show combining poetry and choreography.

The show is titled 'Balau' which means stroke of fate or an unexpected problem in the Dioula language of Burkina Faso, the choreographer's mother tongue.

“With this title, I first wanted to explore the complex relationship between Africa and Europe. There are all kinds of undertones, but at the same time, I wanted to address our global humanity, the fact that today we're more sensitive to certain things and less so to others. What makes one death more valuable than another? What makes one war more important than the other?,” wondered Coulibaly.

Actors from the Münchner Kammerspiele ensemble and dancers from the Faso Théâtre troupe dance and recite texts by writer and playwright Fiston Mwanza Mujila.

Residing and teaching in Graz, Austria, since 2009, Fiston Mwanza Mujila was born and raised in Lubumbashi, eastern Congo, a region that profoundly influences his writing.

“As a Congolese, I write with this deconstructed memory, a memory of conflict. Congo is a country that has gone through many crises since independence. It's from this reality that I write, and I carry Congo within me. My literary universe is shaped by Congolese drama,” said Mujila.

The Balau show remains on the theater's menu until November 16, with the aim of bringing Africa closer to the German audience.