Have you ever seen a performance that completely shifts your perspective? That’s exactly what Rebecca Chaillon’s incredible Carte Noire nommée Désir (2021) does. As a powerful voice in France’s afrofeminist theater scene, Rebecca Chaillon isn’t just putting on a show: she’s starting a revolution.
I was blown away by how Chaillon and her ensemble of Black female artists take complete ownership of their bodies on stage. Through bold and provocative staging, they directly challenge those tired colonial stereotypes about Black female sexuality that we’ve all seen too much of.
What makes this performance truly unique is its creative use of sensory elements. Chaillon incorporates touch, food ingredients like sugar and cocoa, and even gets the audience involved to break down what scholar Sylvie Chalaye calls “éroticolonie,” the colonial eroticization of Black bodies.
It’s no surprise that the show stirred up controversy at the Avignon Festival! But honestly, that’s exactly why it matters. Chaillon’s work opens up exciting new possibilities for how we can reimagine Black female bodies in contemporary France: free from the colonial, racist, and sexist stereotypes that have dominated for far too long.
If you’re into performance art, feminist theory, or just love seeing boundaries being pushed, Chaillon’s work is absolutely worth your attention. Her embodied artistic practices aren’t just entertaining—they’re actively challenging persistent colonial legacies right before our eyes. For a deeper analysis, I invite you to read my chapter “Cœurs à corps” : le théâtre afroféministe de Rébecca Chaillon et la représentation des femmes noires (Chapter 15) in the book Marianne est aussi noire: Luttes occultées pour l’égalité available now!
