Parlement debout – Holland Festival

Join in Faustin Linyekula’s procession, follow the brass band and ‘sapeurs’ (Congolese ‘people with style’), and pass by various venues in Amsterdam’s Zuidoost district. This parade of stories from Amsterdam and the Democratic Republic of Congo is about listening and being heard, amidst the noise of the streets, vehicles, passers-by and life. Parlement debout is an moving open-air performance, inspired by ‘les parlementaires debout’, men who hang about at kiosks and taxis in Congo, commenting on the news, speaking their minds in the public square, and disrupting the political order. Linyekula, together with Yves Mwamba and Dinozord, is directing a similarly disruptive parade of unknown, sometimes incredible stories that seldomly make it into newspapers here.

Parlement Debout was originally created in 2007 by Papy Ebotani, associate artist at Linyekula’s Studios Kabako. The title of the performance, which is essentially about freedom of speech, refers to

the men who gather on street corners, in front of newsstands, taxi ranks or street stalls in Kisangani (Democratic Republic of the Congo) to read the newspapers out loud and comment on world events. They debate about life, the future, society; they claim the freedom to say what they want to say. Since then, the papers have disappeared from newsstands, and they no longer serve as meeting places where people exchange news. A new generation has its own means of communication and places to hang out – including online places.

Especially for the Holland Festival, Linyekula worked with dancer and choreographer Yves Mwamba to develop a new version of Parlement Debout to be performed in South-East Amsterdam. Once again a procession will move through the streets of the neighbourhood, but this time it will be watched – and joined – by residents of South-East Amsterdam. Linyekula and Mwamba are going in search of these residents’ stories, and will work with them to stage a journey past all their hidden places and forgotten dreams – dreams and stories that echo those in Kisangani.

Read less

credits

direction Faustin Linyekula performed by Faustin Linyekula, Yves Mwamba, Dinozord, Larry Appiah, Dyanne Denneboom, Vincent Henar, Yves Mwambe, Leeroy Molly, Ritzah Stasia, GHANSURI 4TET brassband Deluxe_entertainment head styling Richard Soesanna styling headwrapping Miss Yaa (Carmen Medar) in participation with RightAboutNow Inc, Marian Duff (OSCAM) alto saxophone Sanne Landvreugd trumpet Berima Amo percussion Yusuf Nuweku bass Vincent Henar

dates

information

credits

This performance is made possible by

ROHTKO