The blind poet

History is written by the victorious. By men. By the selected few who think they know what has to be done. In “The blind poet”, Needcompany counter historical truth with personal stories: Individual portraits of the seven performers on stage, whose histories ultimately interweave to form an alternative image of (world) history. This production, premiered by the Belgian company and directed by Jan Lauwers, quotes from the writings of the Arabic poet Abu l-‘Ala al-Ma’arri (973-1057) and of Wallada bint al Mustakfis, an Andalusian poet from the 11th century. Their works describe an era when Córdoba was the economic and cultural centre of the world, women held positions of power and atheism was commonplace. Reflected by this past epoch and based on the various nationalities, cultures and languages of the performers who tell us about their ancestors, biographies and discontinuities – individually or as a chorus, in the form of a rock song or a dance –, “The blind poet” deals with our concepts of identity in a contemporary, multicultural Europe.