Malcolm X

The Afro-American activist Malcolm X has always remained a source of inspiration and controversy. In his powerful statements, and with an undeniable charisma, he demanded equal rights and stood up for his Islamic beliefs.

Who would Malcolm X be if he lived in the 21^st century? And what would he have fought for today? Theatre director Junior Mthombeni, author Fikry El Azzouzi, and composer Cesar Janssens created their new production Malcolm X as a response to these questions. The result is not a biographical portrait, but a funky theatre concert in which Malcolm’s ideas and events in his life are transformed into street dance, hip hop, slam poetry, and virtuoso jazz solos. With a multicultural mix of more than twenty performers, this multilingual and versatile production translates the relevance of Malcolm’s heritage to the city today.

• Junior Mthombeni and Fikry El Azzouzi collaborated previously in the company SINcollectief. They both became resident artists at KVS when the new artistic director Michael De Cock was appointed, where they were commissioned to create a production about Malcolm X. César Janssens is an autodidact multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was for a long time Raymond van het Groenewoud’s drummer and he has surprised the theatre world with his very unusual compositions and soundscapes.

“Malcolm X is een feestelijk kruisverhoor dat iedereen beroert.” – uit het Juryrapport

“Koloniale geschiedenis, hoofddoekendebat, het geloof als splijtzwam: zowat alles knettert langs” – De Standaard

“Een stomend theaterconcert dat heel eenvoudig wordt geregisseerd door Junior Mthombeni die als drummer de hartslag van de voorstelling aangeeft en, jawel, ook de rol van Malcolm X waardig en groots vertolkt.” – Focus Knack