onze lieve vrouw van vlaanderen

After the overwhelming success of De Leeuw van Vlaanderen, the first part of the trilogy, Union Suspecte is ready with part two: Onze Lieve Vrouw van Vlaanderen. As in De Leeuw van Vlaanderen, this performance starts from autobiographical source material by director Chokri Ben Chikha.

Whereas De Leeuw van Vlaanderen was about the flawed relationship between a son raised in Flanders and his Tunisian father, Onze Lieve Vrouw van Vlaanderen focuses on the mother figure. Fatima and Maria both followed their husbands to Blankenberge where they get to know each other through “their” chosen son, Chokri. Fatima, the biological mother, followed her husband Habib from Tunisia as part of family reunion politics. Maria, the practical mother, is a Holocaust survivor and followed a Belgian soldier to the coastal city. The soldier is long gone with the sunset, Habib has just died. The women are left behind: Maria, traumatised and childless, takes care of Chokri, one of Fatima's sons. A silent struggle develops between the two mothers.

Onze Lieve Vrouw van Vlaanderen zaps between Culture with a big C and the popular “moving good”. It flirts with breakdance, Vivaldi and African beats. Music and dance complement the text. Between autobiographical elements and fantasy, the Far West and Islam, banal situations and great stories, Onze Lieve Vrouw van Vlaanderen gives a glimpse of a family history. A fresh performance full of playful, absurd and politically coloured images with Mary as a free pass.

"This mini constellation is a melting pot, and at times a high-pressure pot. Patience and horny buffoonery, understanding, nervousness and all the cultural influences each brings to the table are balanced."

- De Standaard (BE) (Geert Sels)