William Sham

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William Sham

Preferred pronouns:

he/him
Birth year:

1994
Primarily based in or works from:

Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
Skills:

theater playwright directing of a stage play mentoring photography
Topics:

human rights immigration women's rights sexuality
Contact information:

Currently working on:

'NE T'ETONNE PAS SI MA LETTRE SENT LE SEL'' is a play about migration written by Jocelyn Danga from the DRC. In this play, he describes the journey of a young migrant who leaves his country to seek a new life in Europe.

Quick Facts:

My field of work is contemporary theatre. The drive of my work is to engage people, to stimulate them to reflect and interrogate their actions in the context of their realities. Beyond that, I create to communicate, to disturb, to entertain, but also because we have a story to tell, emotions to share, a world to educate, and people to mobilise.

My practice is influenced by what surrounds me: current events, the daily lives of people in my region, their courage and resilience. Life in the streets is an inspiration, simply because the street does not limit anyone and does not choose any social class. This has pushed me for 3 years to take my theatre to the streets and make it accessible to a diverse and wide audience.

In my artistic approach, I rely on the physicality of theatre. It is a theater that allows everyone to find each other regardless of the different languages that separate us ¬- especially in my country where there are over 400 languages. I understand the body as a human communicator which allows to make a theater for and by the population. My approach involves researching and adapting the text to the body that carries it: dressing the text with the body.

Three relevant works from the last 5 years of artistic practice:

LES BIJOUX, a show written by Toussaint Carilien and directed by William Sham bringing together artists from Haiti, Bujumbura, Lubumbashi, Bukavu and Goma, Attaquants Théâtre, Goma, 2022
VARIATIONS, a show written by Hermine Yollo and directed by William Sham, Kinshasa 2019/2021, Cameroon-DRC-Belgium collaboration.
URGENCE, Theater Workshop for 16 emerging artists from Bukavu conducted by William Sham in collaboration with the French Institute of Bukavu.

Highest educational degree:

Bachelor's degree in Electromechanics at ISTA, Goma.

Work samples:

BARUA

Barua; which means letter in English. Barua is a rain of letters, in which KATHERINE tells her tragic
story, less glorious and laughable to the presidency. Her letters not being answered, she gathers her
courage and determination to be a living example and to speak out loud to tell her story from her village
taken in an unexpected manner by the “angels with no wings”, then her father’s death, killed for the
simple reason; defending his heritage. Her husband who exchanged his life for a happiness that he no
more found, leaving KATHERINE with a fetus. The fetus after its birth got sick that he died in her hands
after paying a wealthy price, her own body for a useless remedy. Despite herself, KATHERINE refuses to
keep bowing under the heavy pain and atrocities, she decides to plead alone her cause on front of the
presidential palace.

BARUA

VARIATIONS EN COLERE MAJEURE POUR CITOYENNE REVOLTEE

Translated to English the piece is titled: ANGRY VARIATIONS FOR REVOLTED CITIZENS. The show is a call for courage, to all women directly or indirectly affected by wars, to denounce, accuse and revolt if necessary against the executioners. Aside being a play, the piece speaks for those whose voice has been muted and proves that women can. It is a small light in the darkness of this world which continues to ignore the place of women. Creation: 2019 / 2021, Kinshasa Production: Tarmac des Auteurs de Kinshasa Text: Hermine Yollo Staging & project leader: William sham Weteshe (DRC) Dramaturgy: Olivier Coyette (Belgium) Interpreted by: Cynthia Marifa (DRC) Lighting creation: Angel Konongo Cléo (Brazzaville) With the support of: Institute Français Kinshasa, AFRICALIA, WBI

URGENCE

In this workshop, participants will work on text extracts from different authors such as: Dieudonné Niangouna, Aristide Targnada, Jean-Marie Coltes and Ethienne Minoungou. The URGENCE workshop trains practical work with the voice and body on stage as well as acting direction, i.e. listening, working on the text and a collaborative approach to theatre that promotes the uniqueness of each speaker. The workshop looks at contemporary theatre in general and its definition by identifying different currents and aesthetics. The actor learns how to align his body and mind to a text or role and how to arrive at an original interpretation through his own political, aesthetic and emotional positioning. This is the research on which our artistic approach is based.

PATATI PATATA

The show is a monologue featuring two actors. They are out of breath questioning their future and no longer want to be silent in the face of injustice and contradictions. Addressing the colonial gaze, traditions and religion metaphorically and through the lens of socio-political life in the DRC, this piece challenges the power structures in place and demands for more humanity and responsibility. The piece paints the harms that plague Congolese society in various forms. It criss-crosses between the formal and informal pronouns and builds a bridge between them. This addresses the suffering that plagues the informal "you" when the formal "you" of politeness no longer remembers those who caused the suffering.

LES BIJOUX

Les Bijoux, is a remedy drawn from myths to cure the ills of the contemporary world. We do not pretend to be the doctor of the world, but we want to cross it. Play our part. Today's world makes us programmed beings, dissolves our identities, depopulates us through civil wars. The piece is interpreted by three women.