Constellations and memories – diasporic voices of the Griots Theater Company
Presentation / Lecture with Annabelle Aventurin
đź“… Date & Time:Â
Wednesday 7th May 2025
7pm (doors, presentation / lecture 7.30 pm, end 9pm)
đź“Ť Location:
3rd Floor, Hillevliet 90, Rotterdam, 3074 KD
We are pleased to announce the second event at WET in 2025, part of our year-long inquiry:Â How to make films that not only question but remake the world?
Join us for a presentation by archivist and researcher Annabelle Aventurin, dedicated to the legacy of the Griot Theater Company. The lecture will focus on the influential voices of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora in 1950s Paris.
Founded in 1954, the Griot Theater Company was the first Black theater troupe in France. It offered an essential platform for artists of color—fostering meaningful roles, introducing Black audiences to French and global repertoire, and nurturing a new generation of Black playwrights and actors.
Among its founding members were figures such as Robert Liensol of Guadeloupe, who played a central role in the company’s development, along with Toto Bissainthe, Sarah Maldoror, and TimitĂ© Bassori—artists who would go on to leave a lasting mark on African and diasporic cinema and theater. Their work stood in direct opposition to the erasure and marginalization that shaped the cultural industries of the time.
As pioneering filmmaker once observed: “Africans were largely absent from the cast, ignored, and excluded from the stage” (Med Hondo: Un cinéaste rebelle, Ibrahia Signaté, 1995).
In her talk, Annabelle Aventurin will revisit these neglected histories, exploring the artistic and political contributions of African and Afro-Caribbean performers in France. She will reflect on the cultural force of their presence on stage and screen, and the broader dynamics of diaspora representation they navigated. The lecture will include rare archival materials—stills and newly digitized footage from CinĂ©-Archives, the film archive of the French Communist Party and workers’ movement—featuring moments from a 1963 rehearsal of AimĂ© CĂ©saire’s La TragĂ©die du roi Christophe, performed by the Griot Theater Company.
We look forward to welcoming you to an evening of reflection, rediscovery, and celebration of diasporic voices at WET.
WET is supported by its members, Mondriaan Fonds, Gemeente Rotterdam, and Stichting Volkskracht.
Access:Â WET is located on the 3rd floor and unfortunately is not wheelchair accessible. The ground floor of the building has step free access via a ramp. There is an elevator to the second floor and a flight of steps to the third floor. Gender neutral and wheelchair accessible toilets are available. Please get in touch if you have any questions about access.