14/12/2022

Dear Buffaloes, Honourable board of KAA Ghent, from taking the knee over the 'one love' band to the tirade of FIFA boss Infantino: many are annoyed by the political statements footballers and others in the world of sport are making, including at the Qatar World Cup.

01/06/2022

I know you will never read this letter. After all, you don't read Flemish. You understood it, but you refused to speak it. I can read the letter to you and even translate it if you like.

16/06/2020

Chamber president Patrick Dewael's (Open Vld) proposal to set up a “truth and reconciliation commission” is actually nothing new. Theatre company Action Zoo Humain has already organised several truth commissions on colonialism and modern-day racism.

16/06/2019

My appearance on De Afspraak on 28 May caused a stir - especially when Chris Janssens (Vlaams Belang) made his appearance on the same programme a week later. After all, I would have claimed that 800,000 Flemish voters are racist by voting for his party.

05/10/2018

You can also polarise about polarisation. Chokri Ben Chikha wonders whether polarising witch-hunts are ultimately effective, and whether we should not consider other strategies. Humour, for instance? 

05/02/2018

Mia Vaerman was bothered by too much anger on stage at rekto:verso, especially towards the audience. I agree with her that there are limits to playing out victimisation on theatre. But then we shouldn't make the audience a victim either.

17/12/2017

Dear government leaders, On Friday I watched Terzake with astonishment. At its centre was the debate on the fate of our Belgian Syria fighters, their wives and children in Syria and Iraq. Mayor Hans Bonte (sp.a) was rightly disappointed by the absence of ministers to bring clarity.

16/01/2017

'In the middle of the city, in the middle of the world': that was the recruiting slogan Johan Simons introduced at NTGent at the time. It remains a fascinating subject: how exactly can a city theatre make a difference in that world? In my opinion, the answer lies in “playing”, in the broadest sense of the word.

16/12/2015

As Star Wars fans have been patiently counting down to this week. Today, the long-awaited sequel screens in Belgian cinemas: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. But this time, the film crew neglected the Tatooine set in Tunisia.

11/04/2014

Dear democratic party chairmen, Dear citizens of Flanders, Allow me to come straight to the point: I, Chokri Ben Chikha, am a candidate minister of culture in the next Flemish government. I know, of course, that nowhere in the world a minister is elected directly.

18/06/2012

In an open letter published on the website of the intercultural organisation Kif Kif, theatre-maker Chokri Ben Chikha invites all Muslims to join the debate on Islam and identity. Starting from his latest performance “The Finale: a stand-up tragedy”, Ben Chikha puts a number of pressing questions on the table.