Interview with Professor Dodji Amouzouvi on the show “Le Cordon (…)

Tomorrow Saturday, August 6, will take place at Fitheb in Cotonou, the show “Cordon Ombilical”. Directed by Professor Amouzouvi Dodji and performed by the LARRED ballets, this show gives value to the different theses supported on the various deities of Vodoun. As a prelude to this dance and theater show, a preview took place yesterday in the Fitheb room. This session of final adjustments before D-Day, allowed the actors to showcase their talents on stage. Present in the room before the show, Professor Amouzouvi, Scientific Director of the Laboratory of Analysis and Religion in Space Research and Development at the University of Abomey-Calavi (LARRED), responded to some concerns of journalists.

We are in the Fitheb room in Cotonou. What justifies the presence of members of a laboratory in a theater?

LARREDD has within it institutions, among which we can mention the ballets of LARREDD, the stars of LARRED. Today we are talking about LARRED’s ballets. As the name suggests, it is a group of students, doctoral students who constitute the operational arm of the performing arts, dances of LARRED. In the beginning, we designed and created this institution of the laboratory to enhance our outings, our scientific activities, our reunion activities and even to distract us. Along the way, we had the idea to go further, to professionalize ourselves, but to be quite original with an idea that we think is very innovative at the level of the University of Abomey-Calavi and at the level of Beninese universities. both public and private nationals. We said to ourselves once the results of the research we are doing in the laboratory and are available, we will find the means to put them on stage. It is already a first prefiguration, a first dissemination, another way of seeing and reading what we have written in the theses we have defended. Remember that LARRED had a thesis supported on the perception we have of witchcraft. We specialize in religion, space and development. Specialized in the religion of Voodoo as Christianity. We worked on the profession of pastor, vodoun-Dan, vodoun-Thron, Islam etc. The ballet colleagues then wondered why not stage, in dances, songs and words the results of our doctoral theses. So we are here to see Cordon Ombilical which is the very first performance of songs, dances and lyrics from the results we had. It is therefore a meeting of culture, art and the stage in its sociological and anthropological discipline.

After this show, what will be next?

For this show, we are inviting all the people of Benin, in any case all the public, first of all scientists, then all lovers of the stage, of traditional dance, because there are many sets of different vodoun that we have tried. to put on show. Tomorrow Saturday, we will present a preview of this show. And in this preview, we expect a lot from the public, a lot of specialists, all lovers of theater and dance. Then there will be a private party where we will invite the luminaries of the luminaries, the signatures of the signatures in traditional and contemporary dances, songs and theatre. Afterwards, in the perspective of the artistic re-entry which is that of the laboratory, we will consider a national and why not regional tour.

For this Saturday we will have how many actors on stage and how long will it last?

The show will last one hour and thirty minutes like any normal dance show. There will be a dozen actors on stage in various well-simmered roles. It is a collective creation of LARRED from the University of Abomey-Calavi. The most important thing for us is how to create the bridge between the doctorate defended in sociology anthropology and its applicability on the scene. This is the great challenge that is ours. This is what we have been working on for many months and we hope that the baby will come out well on Saturday. We are waiting for all the public of Cotonou and the surrounding area.

What are the criteria for choosing the theses that will be staged?

For the moment, all the theses that have been defended in religion will find their place in this show, but in a much more precise way, we have done a thesis on the perceptions we have of witchcraft so, we can say sorcery on stage what does the LARRED do? The LARRED tried to put that in its ambitions, in the aspects where we can put them so that the actors can play it. We did theses on vodoun-Thron, vodoun-Dan, vodoun-Sakpata, a thesis on the profession of pastor, another on Islam. It is from all this that we have drawn to put on the show which will take place on Saturday August 6th at the FITHEB room, the former ciné-vog from 8 p.m.

How much is the entrance to this show?

Admission is 1000f for the pass and 3000f for reservations. We wanted to make this offer to accompany Independence Day. We have lowered the prices to open up to all the markets in Cotonou and the surrounding area.

Interview by Isac A. YAI