“After each royal audience, a griot stands and tells the story of what was just accomplished, so that the decision that was made becomes part of History. His second is the depository of that speech, made as material as leather, iron, or earth. The griot must tell nothing but the truth, nothing but what he has been told by another griot. His role is also to destroy the word so as to create another—that is, another kingdom.” Rokia Traoré, in the 21st century, pays tribute to the ancient art of the griots of West Africa: accompanied by two musicians, she tells the epic of Emperor Sundiata Keita in 13th-century Africa. Her tale, in French, is interspersed with scenes performed by actors, classic Mandinka stories and songs, as they were transmitted to her by griots whose families have preserved, from one generation to the next, the immaterial treasure that is the history of a people transmitted through oral tradition. From prophecies announcing the miraculous birth of the man who would unite the Mandé people to the establishment of a charter of rights by an emperor who decided to base his reign on respect and not greed or violence, Dream Mandé is an astonishing tale come from the ancient past of Africa, at a time where the continent already developed its own energies and synergies.
Sundiata Keita
The epic of Sundiata Keita is at once the history and the legend of West Africa. From 1235 to 1255, Sundiata Keita reigned on the Mandé empire, which he unified and pacified after besting Soumaoro Kanté, a deceitful and cruel king. A mixture of indisputable facts and fantastic elements, the story of his life and reign has been transmitted for centuries via the voice of Mandinka griots. Prophecies, magical spells, and war exploits are retold to celebrate a king attentive to his people's rights, as listed in the founding charter of Kouroukan Fouga.
Distribution
Text, design, music Rokia Traoré
Dramaturgy Jan Goossens
Stage design Kurt Bethuyne, Rokia Traoré
Lights Kurt Bethuyne
Sond Massimo Cugini
Costumes Check et Pap Fall
External perspective Peter Sellars
With Rokia Traoré, Mamadyba Camara (kora), Mamah Diabaté (ngoni)
Production
Production Rock'A Sound live
Co-production Festival d'Avignon
With the support of Sacem, Spedidam and Les Activités sociales de l'énergie for the 71st edition of the Festival d'Avignon
Artistic residence Fondation Passerelle (Bamako)
In partnership with France Médias Monde