Languages:
In French and Dutch, with French surtitles
Infos :
15 and over
Premiere on 22 September 2026 at the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles
In December 2018, Tidjane Pokou, a Belgian-Senegalese medical student, died following a hazing ritual to join the prestigious TussenOns student society. Five years later, in May 2023, following a highly publicised trial, the court handed down lenient sentences to the eighteen people responsible for Tidjane’s death.
Two years after the trial, a meeting is organised on the Belgian coast. On one side, the Van Wezembeek family, one of whose two sons was convicted. On the other, Moussa Pokou, the bereaved father, accompanied by his loved ones and a filmmaker documenting his quest for the truth. But what was meant to be a gesture of reconciliation gradually turns into a tense, closed-door meeting. As the evening progresses, the accounts begin to unravel and the people take turns becoming witnesses, victims and protagonists in a story that was just waiting to be replayed.
Inspired by real events, the acclaimed director Anne-Cécile Vandalem (Tristesses, Arctique, Kingdom) uses *La Fête* to examine the mechanisms by which elites protect themselves, the denial of racism, and the power of narratives: for, ultimately, who decides what is told and what is erased?
With Habib Ben Tanfous, Anne-Pascale Clairembourg, Arne De Tremerie, François Ebouele, Oscar Van Rompay, Anne-Cécile Vandalem, Federico D’Ambrosio, Alex Tambu
Co-writing and direction Anne-Cécile Vandalem
Co-writing Joëlle Sambi
With the contribution of the actors and enriched by encounters with the Dia & De Vel family
Dramaturgical collaboration Eva-Maria Bertschy, François Makanga
The poems narrated in the voice-over are written and read by Joëlle Sambi
Assistant directors Pauline Ringeade, Yasmine Deroui, Astrid Akay, Hikmat Vanthomme
Set design Ruimtevaarders
Assistant set design and props Jenske Vanhaelemeersch
Technical direction Yorrick Detroy and Damien Arrii
Costume design Laurence Hermant
Make-up and special effects design Kenza Benbouchta
Lighting design Amélie Gehin
Video design Vincent Pinckaers, Federico D’Ambrosio
Music composition Alex Tambu, Pierre Kissling
Sound design Antoine Bourgain
Production stage management Yorrick Detroy, Damien Arrii and Giuliana Renzi
Production stage crew Ludovic John, Olivier Debondt, Pam Martin and Violette Grandjean
Touring stage crew Maïa Anastasiou
Production lighting crew Corentin Christiaens
Touring lighting crew, alternating Hadrien Jeangette or Léa Vandooren
Touring sound engineer Antoine Bourgain
Production video crew Stefano Serra
Touring video crew Julien Bernard
Touring wardrobe and make-up Samira Benali
Photo credits – Bird Teo Becher
Photo credits Christophe Engels
Set construction Ateliers du Théâtre de Liège
Costume production Ateliers couture du Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles
Production Das Fräulein (Kompanie) – Lila Pérès (Head of Administration and Finance), Daria Bubalo (Production Manager), Rabab Khairy (Production and Administration Officer), Jill De Muelenaere (Head of Development, Touring and Communications), Aurélie Curti (Touring and Production Officer).
Co-production Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Théâtre de Liège, Nanterre-Amandiers — Centre dramatique national, les Théâtres de la Ville du Luxembourg, Théâtre de la Cité à Toulouse, Théâtre de Namur, Ruhrfestspiele, Maison de la Culture de Tournai, Théâtre des Célestins à Lyon, Malraux scène nationale Chambéry Savoie, Maison de la Culture de Bourges – Scène nationale, La Coop asbl & Shelter Prod,…
With the support of Taxshelter.be, ING, the Belgian Federal Government tax shelter, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles – Theatre Department. Joëlle Sambi is represented by L’ARCHE – theatrical agency. www.arche-editeur.com
Thanks to Seydou Devel, Marie Steenkist, Ousmane Dia, Ferre Vervoort, Peter Huyberechts, Douglas DeConinck, Elise Van Bocxlaer, Bart Willocx, Luc De Cleir, Serge Gutwirth, Arnaud Timmermans, Karel Van Haesebrouck, Marc Neve, Aicha Cissé, Abigail Abraham, Viggo Ebouele, Nour Ben Tanfous Laval, Billie Sage, Marilou Kissling, Juliette Challet, Amel Benaïssa, Sarah Seignobosc, Sébastien Monfé, Floriane Devigne, Chloé Dilasser, équipe d’accueil du TN, Nicolas Pommier, Fémïya, Amélie Genin – Cabinet JVM, Amandine Laval, Céline Gaudier, Bernadette Schnabel, Roxana Ionesco, Dulia Lengema, Ophélie Mac, Soumaya Phéline, Peggy Pierrot, Gaëtan d’Agostino, Olivier Marboeuf, Sander Costermans, Jasper Derluyn, les participant·e·s des workshops de mars 2024 et de juin 2024 : Daphne Agten, Damien Avice, Arnaud Botman, Hakim Bouacha, Laurent Caron, Quentin Chaverat, Ibrahima Diokine Sambou, Caroline Donnely, Jessica Fanhan, Zoé Kovacs, Christine Leboutte, Dinga Linora, Liu Marcia, Jovial Mbenga, Rehab Mehal, Alexandre Michel, Berdine Nusseldeer, Lea Quinsac, Deborah Rouach, Catherine Salée, Thibaut Sartori, Annah Schaeffer, Ghita Serraj, Consolate Siperius, Antoine Plaisant, Mieke Verdin, membres du conseil d’administration de Das Fräulein (Kompanie) : Audrey Brooking, Benoît Hennaut, Mylène Lauzon, Dominique Roodthooft, Michel Van Slijpe, Xavier Van Aerssen, Jennifer Fernandez, les traiteurs Archie, Ventre Content & Terter.
