LA LANGUE DE MOLIÈRE

“On parle la langue de Molière” (“We speak the language of Molière”) is a well-known saying in Ivory Coast, where Molière is seen as a synonym for French colonization in language and culture, and as the standard for expressing oneself elegantly and meeting European norms. La Fleur members grew up with Molière as an icon; they are not yet familiar with his rebellious plays or his biography. We are adapting *The Bourgeois Gentleman*; in this comedy of manners, Molière criticized the ambition for social advancement of a bourgeois who acts brutally toward his own people and seeks to shine through naive conformity to standards of education and etiquette. He exposed the misguided identification with the higher class—a theme applicable to a (post)colonial context. For some time now, there have been counter-movements in Ivory Coast against the uncritical adoption of French culture: Since the 1970s, many Ivorians have spoken “nouchi,” a hybrid language combining French, indigenous languages, and new slang expressions, accompanied by gestures and dances. The comedy is structured around alternating scenes of dialogue and ballet interludes, a principle that La Fleur transforms with its own choreography. La Fleur dances its way through the roles. In this fictionalization lies the potential to shake off the curse of cultural assimilation through liberating satire.