Ne t'étonne pas si ma lettre sent le sel

  • How’s it going, world?
  • Reading

With RFI

Democratic Republic of Congo

At the age of 35, Moluki decides to leave. From the port of Brazzaville to his Parisian maid's room, he writes to his brother about his journey, the difficulties he encounters and sometimes embellishes his adventures. This is the story of a ‘successful’ but painful exile.

Ça va, ça va le monde with RFI, 2022 © MarieCM Photography

Presentation

This series of readings is an opportunity for Festival audiences and World Radio listeners to discover new works. These six texts are in fact ‘fresh writings’, most of them unpublished and never performed in Europe. Texts by authors from African countries and Haiti, addressed to the whole world from Avignon.

This 12th edition will open with a focus on Cameroon: two texts inspired by social issues, the disappearance of children and freedom of the press. Eric Delphin Kwegoué, winner of the Prix RFI Théâtre 2023, writes a plea for press freedom dedicated to all the journalists murdered in his country. All the other plays, from Benin and Haiti, are also texts of struggle and the missing narratives that are essential to a broader perception of the world.

Ne t'étonne pas si ma lettre sent le sel

By Jocelyn Danga - Democratic Republic of Congo

At the age of 35, Moluki decides to leave. From the port of Brazzaville to his Parisian maid's room, he writes to his brother about his journey, the difficulties he encounters and sometimes embellishes his adventures. This is the story of a ‘successful’ but painful exile.

Jocelyn Danga is a Congolese poet and playwright from Kinshasa, currently studying in France. He has written a dozen plays, two of which have been published: Un oiseau à l'aube (éditions Passage(s)) and Cette lettre que je t'écrirai peut-être jamais (éditions Nzoï). After winning a gold medal at the 9th Jeux de la Francophonie littérature-nouvelles in 2023, he is now focusing on writing his first novel.

Distribution

With Djo Ngeleka and Insas students Solange O Brayanne Muneme, Martin Villemonteix and Cyril Romero
Reading directed by Armel Roussel, assisted by Bastien Fourmy, Baptiste Uhl (Insas)
Sound design Bastien Fourmy, Cyril Romero, Martin Villemonteix (Insas) with the assistance of Pierre-Alexandre Lampert
The Ça va, ça va le monde! series is created and coordinated by Pascal Paradou

Production

Coproduction RFI, Compagnie [e]utopia

With the support of Institut français, SACD, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Fonds Marie-Paule Delvaux Godenne, L'asbl Les Amis de l'Insas and the Agence française de développement

Practical infos