Premiere of a Swiss-German-Togolese theater play in Lome, Togo

Local news, 31.05.2019

The theater play, a reflection on post-colonialism, premiered in Lomé on 7 and 8 March 2019.

12 young people from Lomé and Berlin participated in the play
12 young people from Lomé and Berlin participated in the play © Valeria Stocker

The first performances of a theatrical project supported with a partial grant by the Swiss Embassy took place in Lomé on 7 and 8 March 2019. Both performances attracted a large audience and the response of the public was very positive. The representations were held in different location to target the widest audience possible. 

Directed by Eliana Schüler, Valeria Stocker and Jean Koffi Edem Touglo, the play is the result of a collaboration between two theater groups originating from different cultural backgrounds, but with the same aim, namely to stimulate a reflection on post colonialism. The project is a collaboration between the collective X Perspektiven (Switzerland and Germany) and Carrefour Artistic Company (Togo) with the intention to play in both Lomé and Berlin.

The project allowed an artistic exchange between young people from Berlin and Lome on the theme of German colonialism in Togo from 1884-1916. The play was created from scratch by first initiating a research phase during which the artists visited several places of the colonial period in Lomé to get inspired. Based on this research and after further discussions held with historians and activists, the play was then written with the help of the participants. The result was a play about the past, present and future, about two countries with many identities trying through many attempts to write history and form a common memory.