DODO

Archive

Location	Kortrijk - Antigone
Duration	1u15

Spoken languages: Dutch, French, English and Creole

In DODO, Giovanni Baudonck and Jonas Van den Bossche navigate to Mauritius. This island in the Indian Ocean fell prey to different European colonial powers for centuries. They planted foreign crops and released exotic animals that destroyed the original ecosystem. The colonizers took people from other countries and cultures and imported them as slaves, forcing them into inhumane labor. To this day, the people of the independent Mauritius still have no decisive voice regarding their own territories. Only those who control the raw materials, are in power.

In Dutch, French, English and Creole, DODO tells the unknown story of the people shouldering a history of violent mutations. Giovanni Baudonck brings these dark pages from Mauritian history to life through spoken word, slam poetry, rap and song. In a frictional dialogue with musician Jonas Van den Bossche, the stage becomes a transport zone where the historical baggage is dusted off and appraised. Cans of worms are opened and then closed again, shouting 'water under the bridge!'.

In this compelling and visual music theater production, the makers search for the cultural coordinates that determine the complex identity of this island. They revive the extinct bird, the 'dodo', to rewrite Mauritian history and wonder how it influences Giovanni's search for his identity.