2023-07-26 09:59:59
The theatrical demonstration issued a press release condemning the attacks of which the actresses of a show were victims, sometimes during their performance.
The Avignon Festival on Tuesday sent its support to the team of one of its shows, Carte noire named desire. The theatrical event denounces in a press release the “racist” attacks perpetrated against its actresses, sometimes while they are on stage.
Since the launch of this piece at the Lycée Aubanel gymnasium on July 20, the performers “face during performances but also in the streets verbal and physical attacks of a racist nature”, denounces the festival, which “affirms that it is unacceptable to leave these outpourings of hatred in silence and demonstrates its solidarity and support for the artists.”
Written and directed by Rébecca Chaillon, Black card named desire features eight actresses and “raises the question of the place of Afro-descendant women in French society”, according to the press release. The official website of the festival evokes an “Afro-futurist tale” that “shatters the colonial imagination and its procession of clichés. Tenacious, racist, sexist clichés…”
The Company in the belly, which produces the show and which Rébecca Chaillon co-created, returned in detail to the violence that occurred during the performances for france blue. According to her, they took place during three of the five performances.
A blow against an actress
She reports that members of the public threw middle fingers when the subject of police violence was brought up, that the far-right slogan “we are at home!” was heard in the audience, and even that one of the actresses received a blow from an onlooker.
This physical attack took place on Monday evening, and France bleu provides some context. At the end of each performance, the actresses explain to the audience that they are going to make them guess words through mime. To make them guess “colonization”, they grabbed the bags of the spectators, and that’s when one of them received a blow. Also according to the company, attacks against members of the team also took place in the city of Avignon.
The director of the festival condemns
The controversy continues on social networks, in particular through a photo of the show presenting one of the actresses carrying an iron bar, on which white babies are impaled.
A photo of the show “Black card named desire” © Festival d’Avignon – Christophe Raynaud de Lage
Tiago Rodrigues, who took over the reins of the festival this year, succeeding Olivier Py, also defends the show and its actresses with France bleu:
“Violent and racist gestures are not acceptable at the Festival d’Avignon, and this behavior does not represent the Festival audience.”
#Festival #dAvignon #supports #actresses #victims #racist #attacks