My Artistic Journey through ASSITEJ International: a Story of Commitment and Recognition
I, Mogoun Jeannette, a committed and passionate artist, would like to share with you the extraordinary journey that led me to present my work at the ‘Bright Generations’ event organised by ASSITEJ International, Théâtre Massalia and Scène d’enfance-ASSITEJ France. This enriching and moving experience, the fruit of a committed professional journey, marks an essential turning point in my artistic career.
1) My beginnings with ASSITEJ International
My path crossed with ASSITEJ International during one of its regional projects, Construire des histoires (Building stories), at the FATEJ festival in Cameroon in 2015, in which I participated as a Cameroonian actress, company director and educator. There, I had the opportunity to meet inspiring personalities such as Karin Serres, playwright, Pascale Grillandini, dramaturge, and François Fogel, then Responsible of International Relationships at Scènes d’enfance-ASSITEJ France. This first meeting was the starting point for a series of fruitful collaborations and exchanges.
In 2017, invited to the second meeting of Construire des histoires, which became Zistoir network, I participated in the Craddle of Creativity festival, host of the ASSITEJ Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. There I honed my skills in storytelling and narrative construction, met other artists, particularly from Africa, and took part in an international slam organised by Write Local, Play Global. These invaluable exchanges helped to forge my artistic identity.
My commitment to young people is also evident in the June 1st project for children and young people, initiated by the Scène d’Enfance-ASSITEJ France, which I created and then ran alone in Cameroon for three years in a row. Today, I would like to see it develop into a major carnival dedicated to young people, an essential initiative for Cameroon and Africa.
2) A new life in France – key meetings and projects
In 2021, I came to France for a three-month TRAME 2021 residency at the CITE INTERNATIONALE DES ART DE PARIS, based on the text En découdre by Luc Tartar (Lansman éditeur), which I reworked solo, adding my songs in bandjoun, and which became La fille qui chante et la fille sur le toit (The girl who sings and the girl on the roof). After this residency, when I measured the number of people who believed in me and trusted me (Karin Serres, Pascale Grillandini, Sandrine Grataloup, François Fogel, Luc Tartar, Jean Pierre Rigaud and many others), I decided to stay in France and do everything I could to create the shows I dreamed of for young people.
In 2022, I’ve been lucky enough to meet Émilie Robert at the general assembly of Scènes d’enfance-ASSITEJ France.
In 2023, thanks to her commitment, I took part in the ASSITEJ International Encounters conference in Serbia. Invited to share my professional experience in Cameroon, I told an international professional audience about the different ways in which I have created encounters between street children and orphanages and contemporary theatre texts for young audiences, from workshops in theatre practice, music and dance to their performance by the same children.
3) Revelation and gratitude
All these meetings with ASSITEJ International have been a real revelation for me. Benefiting from the support and trust of this worldwide community has enabled me to assert myself professionally.
Today, presenting my work in Bright Generations and proudly asserting my identity as an artist and performer without fear of judgement is an unprecedented and liberating feeling. I am deeply grateful to ASSITEJ International, Théâtre Massalia and Scène d’enfance-ASSITEJ France for this enriching experience. As an important step in my artistic career, it gives me the desire to continue these inspiring exchanges and to continue my commitment to young people.
I’m also delighted to have joined the ACYTA network at this event, to be part of this great cultural family, and it is with great enthusiasm that I emphasise the importance of this connection with other passionate and motivated members working in Africa. This community is an invaluable source of inspiration for me.
In short, my journey through ASSITEJ International is the story of a vibrant artistic commitment, supported by generous and inspiring people. Strengthened by my membership of this global professional network, and of ACYTA for the African continent, I look forward to continuing my professional path to contribute to the development of young people in all our countries through art and theatre.
Jeannette Mogoun, April the 22d, 2025
Montreuil (France)
