Une saison au Congo (French pronunciation: [ynə sɛzɔ̃ o kɔ̃ɡo], A Season in the Congo[1]) is a 1966 theatre play by Aimé Césaire,[2] first performed in March 1967 in Brussels by the Théâtre Vivant. In September of the same year, the play was produced at the Venice Biennale.[3] It follows the political career of Patrice Lumumba, first president of the Republic of the Congo in Africa,[4] taking a deeply pessimistic view of his fate.[5]
| Une saison au Congo | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Aimé Césaire |
| Date premiered | March 1967 |
| Place premiered | Théâtre Vivant |
| Original language | French |
| Subject | anticolonial revolution |
| Genre | political play |
| Setting | Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1960s |
The play depicts the last months of the life of Patrice Lumumba during the transition to independence of the Belgian Congo marked by conflicts with the secession of Katanga, supported by the Belgian and broader Western interests.[6]
After its first performance in Belgium, the play was produced at the Venice Biennale in March 1967, then at the Théâtre de l'Est parisien by theatre director Jean-Marie Serreau on 4 October 1967.[3] The play's most recent performance took place in the Théâtre national de la Colline in Paris in September 1989.[3]
