Ten years after its creation, the RFI Theater Prize still knows the same enthusiasm and bears witness to the emergence of a new generation of authors.

For this edition, the reading committee received 135 applications from 25 countries.

In this preselection, the presence of 5 authors attests to the increasingly visible voice of women, but also to a new generation of playwrights with 9 authors out of 12 who had never been selected.

Pre-Selection 2023:

1 - "La chute infinie des soleils" by Elemawusi Agbedjidji (Togo)

2 - "Fifi, les tambours et les étoiles" by Stéphanie François (Haiti):

Fifi is alone at home, her mother has left to join her lover Bonami. During the night, several convoys set off, that of the Shadow Hunters led by Bonami, and that of the Night Lights led by Défilé. The mother will be killed. Fifi will meet Défilé, who will take her under his protection. A story of resistance and hope, with powerful poetry, bringing a fresh look at the situation in Haiti.

3 - "La Belle et les bêtes" by Essoham Gnaro (Togo)

4 - "Caléta" by Gaël Tchêgoun Hounkpatin (Benin)

5 - "La faiseuse d'anges" by Nathalie Hounvo Yekpe (Benin)

6 - "Gestation" of Moise Kamguen Moafo (Cameroon)

7 - "À cœur ouvert" Eric Delphin Kwégoué (Cameroon)

8 - "Pandémonium" of Rolaphthon Mercury (Haiti):

In Haiti, within the walls of the national penitentiary, five inmates discuss their escape plans, their daily lives and the injustices that have brought them and their country there. But what is going on in dungeon 15 where a strange liberation can be cashed in? Lively, virulent, lyrical writing for a vitriolic portrait of the political situation in Haiti.

9 - "Méandres" of Natacha Muziramakenga (Rwanda)

10 - "Analogie du vertige" from N’Anza Tata (Democratic Republic of Congo)

11 - "Petite musique des damnés et leurs corps privés de bon Dieu" by Dondedieu Richtel Ollier Lemvo (Republic of Congo)

12 - "Le silence qui sait tant" by Claudia Noella Shimwa (Rwanda)

These twelve texts will be submitted to the vote of a jury made up of artists and professionals, chaired this year by the Franco-Senegalese actor Adama Diop.

The 2023 RFI Theater Prize will be awarded on September 24 as part of the "Les Zébrures d'automne festival" in Limoges.

IH/ iciHaiti