The internationally renowned French playwright and director Eva Doumbia will speak about her award-winning play Le iench (The Dog), in conversation with Drs. Johanna Montlouis-Gabriel (Emory University) and Emily Sahakian (University of Georgia). They will discuss their collaborative project to translate the play and stage the English-language premiere at Spelman College in 2027. 

The play Le iench (The Dog) was written and directed by Eva Doumbia and takes spectators into the daily lives of a Black French family, whose joys and tight-knit relationships coexist alongside the reality of racism and the tragedy of police violence. Performed at the Théâtre National de Strasbourg, the Théâtre Public de Montreuil, and the Théâtre du Nord; recorded by France Culture radio during the Avignon Festival in 2021. Winner of the Bernard Marie Koltès Prize from the Théâtre National de Strasbourg; finalist for the Grand Prix de Littérature Dramatique. Published in French by Actes Sud, it has been translated into German, but not yet English. Our project to translate, restage, and publish a critical edition of the play brings this acclaimed work beyond French borders to American audiences. The play's themes of police violence and racism are resonant for American audiences. Amelia Parenteau is translating the text in dialogue with UGA and Emory students. In collaboration with Aku Kadogo (Spelman College), Eva Doumbia will direct the show at Spelman College in Atlanta in September 2027.