Following the runaway success of Missie eight years ago, writer David Van Reybrouck, actor/theatre maker Bruno Vanden Broecke and director Raven Ruëll are again joining forces. In the new monologue Para, Van Reybrouck allows the soldier to speak. For this, he delves into a forgotten piece of recent history, the large-scale Belgian military intervention in Somalia in 1992-93. For this, Van Reybrouck spent two years ploughing through archives and publications, and interviewed para-commandos who took part in this mission, both officers and regular soldiers. Para neither condemns nor praises, but explores the complex tragedy of ‘international peacekeeping operations’. A tale of idealism and powerlessness, of noble aims and disgusting practices. A gem chosen from the jury selection of the National Dutch Theatre Festival 2018.
“Bruno Vanden Broecke is the monologue king. This is more than just a theatre performance. It is an event of national importance: an exercise in remembering and empathy.” - De Standaard