BÂTIR LE COMMUN - AM GEMEINSAMEN BAUEN

The fact that Cameroon was under German protectorate from 1884 to 1916 manifests itself in racist stereotypes and oblivion on both continents. How can we deal with history in order to create a better present and a vision for the future? As a forum for the artistic and historical exchange of knowledge and experience, BÂTIR LE COMMUN explores the various links between Cameroon and Germany, which are a consequence of the 1984 “Protection Agreement” between Germany and Douala.

Ambass bey is a dance that emerged from Cameroonian and German traditions. Director and choreographer Rodriguez Tankoua and choreographer and cultural manager Champleins Ludovic Ngahenou from Douala reveal elements of its hybrid movement language. The multidisciplinary artist Becky Beh from Yaoundé and dramaturge Johanna-Yasirra Kluhs from Duisburg invite you to dive through the archives of the past and present. Using selected documents from the time of the Douala Protection Agreement and conversations with protagonists from Cameroon and Germany, an inventory of figures is created that rewind history from the beginning – straight towards the future. Video artist Kathleen Kunath accompanies the events. In a performative miniature, dance, video and text give a new appearance to a Cameroon under German occupation.

BÂTIR LE COMMUN is a lively research project and a multifaceted exchange between artists from Germany and Cameroon. A discussion on the following day invites people to reflect together on a theatre of interdependence and provides insights for those interested in how they can participate in this process.

BÂTIR LE COMMUN – REMEMBERING
In video interviews, citizens from Cameroon and the Ruhr region talk about their personal references to the common heritage: approaches to the inscription of a history in their own lives. (Available during the festival in the digital media library and on tablets in the Mittellhalle at DEPOT).

Cast & Credits:
Participants: Becky Beh, Champleins Ludovic Ngahenou, Rodriguez Tankoua, Johanna-Yasirra Kluhs und Kathleen Kunath