TOUR READY SHOWS
The Man Who Committed Thought
The Man Who Committed Thought is currently taking bookings for an international tour 2012. For dates, please see our calendar. To download an information pack for venues, please click here.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival First Award Winner
What do Shakespeare, the Bible, and a cow have in common?
The Man Who Committed Thought is a highly physical and literate solo show by Patrice Naiambana. In postcolonial Lion Mountain, a determined peasant seeks justice after having his cow eaten by the dictator of the land, President Janta. An initially indifferent Anglicised African lawyer, much given to quoting Shakespeare and the Western Canon, is forced to commit thought about his own personal responsibility for the state of his country. Patrice’s darkly humorous, electric performance style draws upon the story-telling tradition of the West African Griot.
The Man Who Committed Thought was created in order to shed light on Africans who are living, thinking and adapting to traumatic times and contemporary issues. It is an attempt to combat the racism and stereotyping that inevitably comes from repeated negative images and stories of a people, and to express the valuable lessons that Africa’s stories can give to the rest of the world. The play is a tribute to all those who survive war and horror and still continue to think, laugh and play.
PRESS QUOTES
“This is passionate theatre, brilliantly performed, about matters of massive import… Packs more power into its 80 minutes than most would-be writers manage in a lifetime… You are left gasping for breath.”
The Scotsman
“…A moving play…It illustrates the conflict between humanitarianism and humanism, and shows that right and wrong are not necessarily black and white, but rather, they are painted in shades of grey.” Kubatana.net
“Brilliantly, honestly, fearlessly challenging the status quo.“
Three Weeks
“[Naiambana] has charisma to burn, and the physical presence to back up that charm.”
The Stage
RECENT PAST PERFORMANCES
2011
Espressobar Ko D’oooooooor, The Netherlands
In connection with the seminar ‘Coloniality, Slavery and the Holocaust: Introducing the Decolonial Option’ at Roosevelt Academy, Middelburg
Pentecost Festival, United Kingdom
Rock Paper Sistahz Festival, Canada
Harare International Festival of Arts, Zimbabwe
Supported by the British Council
Roosevelt Academy, The Netherlands
2010
Théâtre L’Arrière-Scène, Belgium
Intwasa Festival, Zimbabwe
Supported by the British Council
Harare International Festival of Arts, Zimbabwe
Supported by the British Council
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Hong Kong
2007
The CAPITAL Centre, United Kingdom
Soho Theatre, United Kingdom
CONCEPT, WRITING & PERFORMANCE: Patrice Naiambana
DURATION: 80–90 minutes
STYLE: Theatre, storytelling
SCALE: Small, easy to transport
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