Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raised in Belgium and living in Quebec since 2011, Tatiana Zinga Botao tells her story and that of a famous African queen in her solo exhibition Nzingawhich will be presented in November at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui.
His path to the theater is a matter of chance. In Montreal, as part of a journalism internship for her master’s degree, she met a Quebecer who wanted to audition for the acting conservatory. Tatiana Zinga Botao gives her the answer to this test, but in the end she is the one who is accepted!
“I just wanted to have fun,” she said in an interview. I felt good and free in Quebec. Being Congolese in Belgium brings with it a whole colonial past. Here I had a new identity. It was very liberating. That’s how I started in theater. »
Describing her settlement in Quebec as “a voluntary exile to find myself,” Tatiana Zinga Botao gave birth to a baby boy a month ago. “It roots me even more here,” she explains. Quebec is the place where I am most myself. » However, rehearsals for this show were difficult for the young mother.
“Lack of sleep leads to memory loss,” she says. It’s not easy with a baby. It’s a bit of a crazy project. But I had to tell myself that it was possible to be a mother and an artist at the same time. »
A great challenge
The actress sees this show as a challenge as she recently experienced the bitter disappointment of being rejected for a role on Espace Go due to her pregnancy.
“It hurt me so much that I said to myself: I’ll do my show,” she says.
“It is sad that in 2023 we are firing a woman because she is pregnant. Especially in a theater that sees itself as feminist.
In my opinion we should have tried to find solutions before saying we can’t do anything else. » For his piece, the fact that he wrote part of the text in the company of Alexis Diamond and Marie Louise Bibish Mumbum favored memorization.
The person who has just filmed in the daily Indéfendable on TVA is satisfied with the result, which allows us to discover the fate of a little-known African figure of the 17th century here: Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba.
The latter has become a symbol of anti-colonialism and feminism due to its long resistance against the Portuguese.
“This great ruler is very popular in Angola and Congo,” explains the actress. In Africa there are not only stories of poverty and sad immigration. There is immense cultural wealth that we don’t talk about. I had to show this other Africa. »
The public is therefore invited to discover from afar the fate of this mythical queen and this actress who is trying to find her place here.
Nzinga will be presented at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui from November 6th to 25th.