La veste du président

The president's jacket is passed on from president to president as an instrument of power. It gives rulers a free pass to enrich themselves unlawfully, to exploit the population, to permit daily violence.

With his political solo The President's Jacket, Congolese dancer, choreographer and activist Lucas Katangila addresses the abuses in eastern Congo: in addition to the internal daily violence, he also condemns the role of the West in the exploitation of Congolese wealth and its people. Dressed in white, he dips his arms in a bath full of blood - blood being shed there every day.
His choreography balances between smooth, flowing movements and a very calculated, even sometimes restrained dance. Until the tension can no longer be held, the piece erupts and spits out all the violence that this wounded region has to endure.

• Lucas Katangila explicitly uses his work as a weapon to combat violence in Congo and to create attention for it in Europe. With influences from hip-hop, contemporary dance and traditional African dance, his choreographies build a bridge between Europe and Africa. In 2020, he won the Roel Verniers Prize at Theaterfestival.