Celle qui s'ignore (titre provisoire)

“The one who forgets herself is rooted in the history of my Burundian maternal family, the Kamatari, part of the Ganwa clan — the royal lineage of Burundi, which held power for more than three centuries before the arrival of German colonisers in 1885.

The narrative springs from the mystery surrounding my mother Esther’s exile, after she arrived in France in 1970, and the assassination of my grandfather Ignace in Bujumbura on May 27, 1964, two years after Burundi declared its independence. Drawing on archives gathered over the course of an investigation leading me from Paris to Brussels, and from Brussels to Bujumbura, I retrace the threads of history to delicately piece together the puzzle of an inheritance that eluded me for so long.

I hope my family history will serve as the starting point for a broader historical investigation that sheds light on the political, diplomatic and economic relations between Burundi and Belgium in the years following the 1962 declaration of independence. In this sense, I wish to contribute, in my own small way and through the medium of theatre, to shedding light on a complex history that is, for the most part, ignored and overlooked. Through the uniqueness of my family history, I also aim to develop a textual and theatrical form that can question our relationship with the past further, with history and truth. What defines us? What shapes us? Do we carry within us the traces of the lives of those we have never known, yet whose blood flows through our veins?” — Jade Herbulot

Concept, writing and direction Jade Herbulot / Le Birgit Ensemble

Artistic Collaboration Hélène Rencurel

Dramaturgy and Writing Collaboration Claire Richard

With Pascal Cesari, Jade Herbulot and a non-professional

Set Design James Brandily

Lighting Design Jérémie Papin

Sound Design ongoing

Costumes Pauline Kieffer

Technical Direction Marco Benigno

Administration, production Manon Cardineau, Iris Cottu, Colin Pitrat, Development Florence Bourgeon – Les Indépendances.

Production Le Birgit Ensemble

Le Birgit Ensemble is subsidized by the DRAC Île-de-France – Ministry of Culture and the Val-de-Marne departmental council.

It is an associate company of the Théâtre Gérard Philipe – Centre Dramatique National de Saint-Denis, and La Passerelle – Scène nationale de Gap • Alpes du Sud