«Stirring up the ashes»: Sony Iabou Tansi’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet

Abstract

This article presents an English translation of an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, explaining the background to the play and its writer, the Congolese novelist and playwright, Sony Labou Tansi. Best known in the West for his novels, he wrote and directed several plays which were performed in France and the Republic of Congo. This play is an updated and racially aware version set in South Africa which focuses on the endless violence perpetuated by families in a world with no functioning political state.