Ulrich N’Toyo explores the memories of slavery in his play 'The Silence of Taboos'

Premiered at the Zébrures festival in Limoges, the play 'The Silence of Taboos' marks a deep foray into the obscured memories of slavery. According to RFI Culture, Congolese director Ulrich N’Toyo, who has been based in France since 2007, conceived this work as a journey through time. The narrative follows two protagonists, Vanessa and Kongo, whose desire to start a family leads them to explore their shared past in order to overcome persistent wounds.

To build this creation, Ulrich N’Toyo conducted research by collecting stories in French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Normandy, and the Congo. The artist seeks to break the silences surrounding the triangular trade, particularly at the Loango trading post, where historical traces have been largely erased. The author emphasizes that this approach aims to highlight stories of resistance and the civilizations created by deported populations, which are often absent from official narratives.

The play incorporates elements collected from within Congolese families, such as a song whose analysis revealed complex accounts of the mechanisms of the slave trade. Ulrich N’Toyo stages these 'small stories' to question the grand History, which is often transmitted in a biased manner. The stage, draped in large white fabrics, symbolizes these floating memories that the artist and his actors, including Irène Bicep and Sarah Dambre, sought to embody through prior fieldwork.

The director insists on the importance of this process for his performers, so that they can carry the memory of their ancestors within them. By exploring the invisible traumas that hinder the present, the play offers a reflection on the necessity of confronting the past in order to build a future. This theatrical work is thus intended as a proposal to transform historical unspoken truths into a shared narrative, reconstructed by the actors themselves.

Our perspective

By unearthing the buried narratives of the slave trade, Ulrich N’Toyo reaffirms the right of Africans and the diaspora to reclaim their own history. This artistic approach underscores that cultural sovereignty requires the ability to name the wounds of the past. By transforming these silences into creation, the artist contributes to the dignity of peoples, proving that memory is an essential lever for unity and the reconstruction of a common future.