‘Eleven and Twelve’ by Peter Brook

Legendary director Peter Brooke presents a new production at his Paris theatre Les Bouffes du Nord. ‘Eleven and Twelve’ is based on a novel by Malian writer and ethnologue Amadou Hampaté Bâ on the life and teachings of his spiritual leader Tierno Bokar. Bokar (1875–1939) was a Sufi sage, a member of a distinguished clan, and a spiritual leader in his village in Mali. His clan, exponents of repeating a Sufi prayer 12 times, was embroiled in a debate with a rival clan that advocated repeating it 11 times, a debate that devolved into a conflict over power and leadership in the Tidjani Sufi Order. When Tierno eventually became a follower of Hamallah, a member of the rival clan, he was cast out by family, relatives and clan, branded a traitor, and forbidden to teach or pray publicly. Tierno died impoverished and isolated. Brook’s new play is a theatrical exploration of the power of tolerance in a world of religious violence. (In English; 24 Nov-19 Dec).