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Theatre

Meeting with Israël Tshipamba Mouckounay

Tarmac des Auteurs

After two years of health crisis that deprived us of meetings and exchanges with partners in the field, the visit to Israel was an opportunity for the new members of the team to find out more about Tarmac des Auteurs, the impact that the health crisis has had on their activities and the outlook for the coming months in anticipation of the new multiannual programme 2022-2026.

Le Tarmac des Auteurs is a six-person structure described by its Artistic Director as a cultural space designed as a theatrical incubator. "We support playwrights, young companies and young artists who want to move forward on the road to professionalism. They are given a platform at the festivals that are organised, and the Tarmac also offers training in stage-related professions.

The effective partnership with Africalia began in 2009. This marked the beginning of the structuring of Tarmac des Auteurs and the theatre sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Previously, collaboration had been ad hoc, on a project-by-project basis. And today we can see that this rather solid and lasting collaboration with Africalia has borne fruit, because, he says, out of 10 theatre professionals in the Congo, 8 have passed through the Tarmac des Auteurs in various theatre-related disciplines. What's more, the partnership has helped to strengthen the Tarmac des Auteurs operating team thanks to the various training courses provided by Africalia to enhance the skills of the management team. It has also given the project a degree of credibility with other potential donors.

However, like all players in the cultural sector around the world, the Tarmac des Auteurs has also suffered the consequences of the health crisis, and the first effects have been felt by the public.

The loss of the habit of meeting up and mingling

The Tarmac des Auteurs is located in the commune of Kintambo, on the border between the city and the countryside. Before the pandemic, this specific and advantageous location meant that audiences from different socio-economic backgrounds could gather at the Tarmac for theatrical performances. Unfortunately, two successive years of inactivity have meant that the habit of getting together and mixing has been lost. Government restrictions on audience sizes and venue closures have also put a brake on the organisation of certain activities, not to mention the loss of income that has followed. Funding for projects that had been secured beforehand has been lost.dsc_6871.jpg

No problem. The health crisis has propelled the Tarmac des Auteurs into the digital age. In fact, in 2020, the crisis made it possible for the festival of staged readings to take place on the radio for the first time. At the same time, it demonstrated that to avoid a false start when the festival resumes, it will also have to rely on the impact of digitalization, a major challenge for future programming with a view to gaining visibility and expanding its audience.

While ironising about the traffic jams that Kinshasa's inhabitants have to contend with on a daily basis, Israel notes: "Kinshasa is a city with a lot of traffic jams. People spend a lot of time in their cars because it's so congested. I think that if a good theatre programme is broadcast on the radio, people will follow it because they'll be in their cars. And radio is a tool that is deployed all over the country. There's radio everywhere in the Congo.

On the one hand, despite the lack of proactivity when it comes to going to cultural events, people are demanding cultural activities. Digital technology will be an excellent way of attracting new audiences. On the other hand, the major challenge for the Congolese cultural scene during this recovery will be the development of alternative distribution channels for productions.

The Tarmac des Auteurs is the backbone

When asked about the position of the Tarmac des Auteurs association on the Congolese theatre scene, Israël replies with uncontained pride: "The Tarmac des Auteurs is the backbone! The organisation supports and develops theatre-based initiatives. A large majority of the artists and actors who are making a name for themselves today came through the Tarmac when they were starting out. Their mission is not to offer finished products, quite the contrary. "That's why Africalia must continue to support us in the years to come.

In conclusion, the future of the association looks very promising, with several projects being concocted behind the pleated curtain of the Tarmac des Auteurs stage. A play commissioned from Haitian director Guy Régis Junior will soon begin a writing residency, dealing with the Lumumba relics. The 10th edition of the "ça se passe à Kin" theatre festival is scheduled for 1 to 7 June 2022, along with the 3rd promotion of the emerging theatre project in partnership with the Théâtre de la Ville de Liège, TV series projects and films, not to mention regional mobility with artists from Rwanda and Congo Brazzaville, among others, because the mobility of artists in the region is very important for the promotion of their productions, although this mobility is weakened by administrative red tape, particularly with regard to visas and the high cost of transport.

Emerging theatre project = A scheme to support artists who want to take their first artistic steps within a professional and professional framework, culminating in a programme as part of the theatre season.

Interview by Norbert Nzarubara
Brusselson 28 March 2022.

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