Poverty and activism combine in Chadian street theatre artists

SHEET-metal shacks line the dusty rubbish-strewn alleys, and the stench of burning plastic waste fills the air.

This hardly seems a good time or place for culture, but for Chadian artist Bonaventure Madjitoubangar, it’s perfect.

“Power doesn’t give a damn about culture – that’s why I use the public arena, to bring theatre to as many people as possible,” he said.

The dreadlocked 35-year-old performs dramatised readings in the slums of N’Djamena, the Chadian capital.

The backdrop to this week’s performance is the Chagoua district near the Chari river.

A score of adults and children look on, many drawn by the bewitching high notes of the balafon, a sort of xylophone.

The actor’s issue of the day is “Exile,” with work by Nimrod Bena Djangrang – a multiple award-winning Chadian writer who left the country when civil war raged in the 1980s.

The notion of exile resonates with many Chadians. Poverty, deadly jihadist attacks and inter-community conflict are driving many to seek a safer or better life elsewhere.

“I chose this author to address the theme of exodus, said Madjitoubangar.

“Many Chadians are tempted to leave the country because of poverty, with the risk of ending up drowned like many other exiles in the Mediterranean.”

In the world’s third-least developed country, 42 percent of the population of some 15 million live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations.

Only 20 percent of Chadians are literate and there are no cinemas and theatres.

“It’s good, what he does for the district, for the children, with the various workshops he sets up,” said Antoinette Nojidemgen, a shopkeeper.

“What I’m doing is a political act, bringing culture to the grassroots, but it takes time,” said Madjitoubangar, who sometimes also performs in private courtyards.

Other performances have focussed on women’s rights, featuring “So Long A Letter” by Senegalese author Mariama Ba or the weight of tradition with “Sous l’Orage” (“Caught In The Storm”) by Malian playwright Seydou Badian.

“But I can also do pieces by Albert Camus,” he said Madjitoubangar. “Culture knows no borders.”