Zora Snake
L’Opéra du Villageois
Yaoundé
Nobody has to sit still in this opera. The audience is allowed to come close to the performer, surround him and finally follow him out of the museum to the sounds of a flute and words, inspired by the poet Aimé Césaire.
Zora Snake is one of the most talented Cameroonian dancers and choreographers of his generation. «L’Opéra du Villageois» is both a burial and liberation ritual. It denounces the European museums that harbour looted art in their collections and conjures up the spirit of the stolen objects. Snake reclaims everything that the colonial powers have plundered over the pastcenturies: the gold, the salt, the history. But their spirits are not dead: «They took the work, but not the spirit.»
«L’Opéra du Villageois» has already toured various museums around the world and is now presented twice in and in front of the Museum Rietberg as part of the exhibition «Dialogue with Benin. Art, Colonialism and Restitution». The Museum Rietberg is part of the Benin Initiative Switzerland, which is supported by eight Swiss museums. They have committed to a collaborative provenance research into cultural artefacts from the former Kingdom of Benin. (fa)
Simple words
Many museums in Europe own art that was stolen from Africa.
They have no right to do so.
Zora Snake is a dancer from Cameroon.
He tells the story of art objects from the former kingdom of Benin.
He does this with masks, gold and salt.
A woman accompanies him with a flute.
The piece takes place in and in front of the Museum Rietberg.
Artistic direction and cast
| Choreografie, Konzept & Performance | Zora Snake |
|---|---|
| Musik | Maddly Mendy Silva |
| Politische | |
| Reden & Stimmen | Felwine Sarr, Bénédicte Savoy, Emmanuel Macron |
| Kostüm & Requisiten | Zora Snake |
| Foto | Julie Cherki |
Production
| Produktion | Compagnie Zora Snake |
|---|---|
| Koproduktion | Faso danse téatri, Festivals sens interdits |
| Residenzen | Village Sonkeng, Cameroon, Cité internationale des arts à Paris, Afrikadaa Paris (Pascale Obolo) |
| Unterstützung | Charleroi danse, Théâtre national Wallonie-Bruxelles, Festival de Liège, Palais de Tokyo, Biennale de la danse en Afrique, Utopies performatives, June Events, Rautenstrauch-Joest- Museum/africologneFESTIVAL |
Museum Rietberg
Performance. Liberation ritual. Looted art in European museums
Duration
1:30 hrs. (Performance and Guided Tour through the exhibition 45 min. each)
Language
Performance mulitlingual, Guided Tour Englisch
Age
16 years plus
An inclusive event
Stammtisch
Sat 24.8., 21.00 hrs.
Post-Performance Talk
Sun 25.8., after the performance
Cooperation
An event in collaboration with the Museum Rietberg
Exhibition
«Dialogue with Benin. Art, Colonialism and Restitution», Museum Rietberg, Fri 23.8.24 to Sun 16.2.25, opening Thu 22.8., 18.00 hrs.
Content Note / Trigger Warning
The piece addresses colonial racism.
The performers interact with the audience.
There is no seating.