Very modern tales of religious intolerance and Islamist terrorism are being heard as African storytellers tackle the burning issues of today. About 1,000 artists from over 50 countries gathered in Cote d’Ivoire recently for a seven-day festival of music, theatre, dance, comedy, slam poetry and storytelling at the 10th edition of the biannual Market for African Performing Arts
Taking on religious intolerance with arts
Francois Moise Bamba addressed religious intolerance in his performance No one has a monopoly on God. “We have done nothing wrong except say like you that there is only one God,” the storyteller from Burkina Faso was quoted as saying by AFP. “Faith only has value if it leaves room for doubt”
The leading character in the tale constantly shifts happily and with ease from one religion to another, Catholicism to Islam and Protestantism. “Every family has stories similar to mine in which my father was a Muslim before becoming a Christian and I’ve lived with Christian uncles, Muslim uncles and that’s not caused any problem,” the artist from Burkina Faso says
Islamist fundamentalism in Burkina
The show struck a chord coming just after eight soldiers were killed on March 2 in the Burkina capital Ouagadougou. “When things such as ‘Islamist, fundamentalist’ terrorism started I thought ‘you have to do something, you have to say something’,” he says. “I did not think it possible that someone from Burkina could follow such philosophies, but unfortunately today we see it can happen”
For Bamba and his team “Murmurs at the Blacksmith’s,” it became clear there had to be a story on the subject or face living life in an intolerant society. “I was afraid for a while, but my fear went when I saw they (jihadists) find people having breakfast, peacefully using public transport. They do not choose” who they kill, he says