BETTY TCHOMANGA

(FR)

Une leçon de ténèbres / A lesson of darkness

50′

Tuesday 28.11 | 21:00
Wednesday 29.11 | 21:00

Space Baby, 80-82 Megalou Alexandrou St., Metaxourgio

Admission to all events is free.
Seat booking recommended, but seats available on spot, too.

How can anyone trace their African origins without bumping into the absolute darkness of the human violence in the colonial age? Fearless and fearsome, she tears down the darkness of cruelty to reach light. A lecture-performance designed for MIR.

French Cameroonian-born Betty Tchomanga, whom we got to know as a charismatic performer in shows by Marlene Monteiro Freitas and Nina Santes, now reveals her other face, that of a highly conscious creator fighting for freedom, decolonisation and light. Une leçon de ténèbres [A lesson of darkness]: How to talk about man’s impact on the planet? How to talk about the terrible consequences of colonialism? How does one trace one’s origins back to the African continent without touching on a huge collective trauma? Traversing traditions, religions, and cultures, fearless and formidable, she shatters the darkness of cruelty to emerge into the light. A lecture-performance made for MIR.

“In Voodoo, as in most animistic beliefs, non-humans are omnipresent. Humans are never alone – they ’re always in the company of the dead, the elements, animals, or plants. They are constantly interacting with their environment and the different beings that inhabit it”.
Betty Tchomanga

Betty Tchomanga was born in Charente-Maritime, France to a Cameroonian father and a French mother. Since graduating from the CNDC in 2009, the artist has never separated the practice of performer from that of creator. She began her career as a performer alongside Emmanuelle Huynh and Alain Buffard. Continuing her journey as a performer, she collaborated with many choreographers with completely different aesthetics. In 2014, Betty began working with the choreographer who would have the greatest influence on her career, Marlene Monteiro Freitas. Their collaboration continues to this day. In 2012 she created –A- ou il a sûrement peur de l’eau le poisson in collaboration with musician Romain Mercier. In 2013, Madame. In early 2020, she created a solo entitled Mascarades which she performed and choreographed herself, and in 2022, Lessons of darkness for four performers. She is an associate choreographer with Quartz – Brest’s national scene and she is supported by the Tremplin network until June 2024.

Concept & performance: Betty Tchomanga
Musical collaborators: Mackenzy Bergile, Folly Romain, Stéphane Monteiro & Betty Tchomanga
Musical references: A&J Music Productions: Rize Score suite (2005); Flii Stylz: I Krump (2005); Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo child (1970); Jacob Ter Veldhuis: Grab it ! (1999)
Costumes designer: Betty Tchomanga in collaboration with: Marino Marchand (Pearls making):Love Aziakou, Jacqueline Houessinon
Recorded voices: Folly Romain & Fortuné Agossa
Production & touring: Aoza – Marion Cachan & Roxane Torche

This lecture-performance was created with the support of Quartz scène nationale de Brest and MIRestival in Athens.

Premiere: MIRfestival 2023