Comédie?Humaine 21st

The East African country of Burundi has been entrenched in political crisis for years, marked by human rights violations, despotism and violent protests between opponents and supporters of the regime. How do people live from day to day in an environment of unpredictability and instability? What role does humour play in this regard? Under what conditions can it become a subversive or peace-building force? Can humour be understood and shared equally by different cultures? And how does it function for young people nowadays in digital media and social networks?

These questions form the basis of the project “Comédie?Humaine 21st" by the Theater Konstanz in cooperation with the Burundian theatre companies Lampyre, Les Enfoirés Sanoladante, Umushwarara and the NGO Burundikids. The project investigates various forms of comedy and humour on the basis of European and East African texts, as well as the subjective range of experiences and perceptions of the participating theatre artists from Burundi and Germany. Furthermore, theatre pedagogues from both countries will work together with German and Burundian pupils between the ages of 11 and 17 via social networks to discuss what is funny to whom in specific situations. Using this material, the project will develop two separate productions – one for an adult audience and the other for a young audience – to be performed in both Germany and Burundi.

Artistic director: Christoph Nix (DE)
Directors: Clemens Bechtel (DE), Freddy Sabimbona (BI)