The play M'appelle Mohamed Ali opens on Friday at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM). Congolese author Dieudonné Niangouna's monologue is transformed into a choral piece for eight performers, increasing tenfold the scope of its powerful message about the various struggles of black people between the ring and the stage.
Written in 2014 by Dieudonne Niangouna, the monologue was specifically designed for one performer, Burkinabe actor Étienne Minoungou, whose main character is heavily inspired. In the production of the adaptation signed by Philippe Racine and Tatiana Zinga Botao of the Théâtre de La Sentinelle, he is multiplied in the form of eight African-American actors.
On stage we find Vlad Alexis, Lyndz Dantiste, Fayolle Jean Jr., Rodley Pitt, Franck Sylvestre, Widemir Normil, Martin-David Peters and Philippe Racine himself. The actress Oumy Dembele plays the mother figure who connects all the actors together. She also acts as technical director on stage.
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The nine actors of the play “My Name is Mohammed Ali” in 2022 (Anglesh Major, far left, is replaced by Philippe Racine at TNM, while Tatiana Zinga Botao is replaced by Oumy Dembele)
Photo: Théâtre du Nouveau Monde / Yanick Macdonald
We decided to do a choral piece to show that there are several in Quebec today, Étienne and Dieudonne. It's not true that there is only one black actor, there are a multitude. There are 8 of us, but we could have been 35, summarizes Tatiana Zinga Botao. We also wanted to show that aside from being black and being actors, we are very different.
M'appelle Mohamed Ali was first performed in 2022 at the Festival TransAmérique, then at the Théâtre de Quat'Sous, where Lorraine Pintal, artistic director and general director of the TNM, fell in love with the piece. It was she who invited Philippe Racine and Tatiana Zinga Botao to present her in her restaurant.
An intense piece, both in terms of content and form
The curtain opens as Étienne prepares to play Mohamed Ali, the famous boxer and passionate black rights activist, in the theater. The social struggles of the three-time world champion mingle with those of the black actor trying to shine in a predominantly white world.
“The actor is in his dressing room a few seconds before he goes on stage and suddenly time expands and we enter his head, everything that motivates him to play Mohamed Ali,” explains Philippe Racine .
He draws this parallel between the inspiration of Mohamed Ali in his social struggles and his own aspirations to be an African actor in a Western world, in Western dramaturgy. How will he fit in there?
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The hour-and-a-half-long piece without an intermission relies heavily on ensuring that the intensity of the physical performance matches that of the text, thanks to the work of choreographer Claudia Chan Tak. “We talk about boxing, but we didn't want to make them boxers,” explains Tatiana Zinga Botao. But there's something very alive about the text, so it was extremely physical moments as we come to the end.
Dieudonne Niangouna, the Michel Tremblay from the Congo
Better known in Europe than on this side of the Atlantic, Dieudonne Niangouna is a true literary star in his home country, the Republic of Congo. This is Michel Tremblay from the Congo. He finally brought the Congolese word onto the stage, explains Tatiana Zinga Botao.
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Dieudonne Niangoun is a playwright, director and actress born in Brazzaville, Congo.
Photo: afp via getty images / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
For a Congolese who grew up in Belgium, it was a dream to direct a text by Dieudonne Niangouna, adds the co-director.
I studied at the Montreal Drama Conservatory with Philippe and we read several authors, but it was very Eurocentric. We wanted to show that there were great authors in North Africa and Haiti too. […] Theater is not just a European heritage.
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An excerpt from the play “My name is Mohamed Ali”
Photo: Théâtre du Nouveau Monde / Yanick Macdonald
A tough discussion with the public
Through the discovery of Dieudonné Niangouna's work, Tatiana Zinga Botao and Philippe Racine were influenced by the frontality of his texts and it seemed important to them not to smooth them out for their adaptation. The word enÂny is also mentioned several times, true to the words of its author.
We don't hide, we don't censor ourselves. Words, no matter how hurtful and stressful they may be, are also tools for people to give themselves meaning, explains Philippe Racine. I rarely use this word, but when it is necessary because it was written by someone who considers it necessary to my work as a performer and artist, then it is to respect these words and not distort them.
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The cast of the play “My name is Mohamed Ali”
Photo: Théâtre du Nouveau Monde / Yanick Macdonald
The director is aware that the play will not be received in the same way by all viewers, but this is exactly the conversation he wanted to start with Tatiana Zinga Botao.
The fight remains metaphorical, we are not fighting with the public. But there is still the idea of dialogue, which can be difficult. We may agree or disagree, but the goal is still to be able to express our opinion.
M'appelle Mohamed Ali will be presented at TNM from February 23rd to March 3rd. Tickets are available on the theater's website.