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It is in the third century BC that the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca embarked on a mind-boggling journey: marching with 70,000 soldiers and 40 elephants, he entered Italy via Spain, France and the Alps, in an attempt to shake the Roman empire to its foundations. Hannibal ad portas!
This new creation by Michael De Cock and Junior Mthombeni tells the story of the Punic Wars and the birth of Europe from the perspective of the Carthaginian uber-general. It is a performance about great clashes. The Punic Wars as a metaphor for all the conflicts being fought on the edges of the continent today. The figure of Hannibal as a lens through which we can explore the different visions of contemporary Europe. For, absurd as it may seem, the idea that there are once again ‘barbarians’ at the Southern borders of Europe, ready to wipe out its history, seems to be resurfacing. Through the unique synergy of opera and slam, contemporary dance and acting, Hannibal opens a window onto the past, present and future of the West. For the makers, Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas – about the betrayal of the Carthaginian queen, the mythical origin for the conflict between Europe and North Africa – is the starting point of a performance in which the fusion of arts and cultures is ultimately not something to be feared, but celebrated.
This production is part of Troika Dance