WHO'S WHO IN DUST
ARISTIDE TARNAGDA (Dramaturg) is the artistic director of the internationally acclaimed theater festival Les Récréâtrales in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Tarnagda is the 2017 Le Grand prix littéraire d’Afrique noire, a world renowned French literature award for two of his plays: Façon d’aimer and Terre rouge and was congratulated in person by the President of Burkina Faso at the presidential palace. Born in 1983 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Aristide Tarnagda first studied sociology before becoming an actor at the Théâtre de la Fraternité, under the artistic direction of Jean-Pierre Guingané. His encounter with Koffi Kwahulé played a significant role in his life as it rooted in him a passion for writing. He wrote his first play Also kill me, at the Récréâtrales festival in 2004. He then released many more writings, including Tears of the August Sky, De l’Amour au Cimetière, On ne payera not oxygen, Exils 4 and The Bosses, 333 million cardiac arrests, Way of loving, Red earth, And if I killed them all Madame, and Musika His last play, Sank or the patience of the dead, was read at the Avignon festival in 2017 in France, as part of the reading cycle “ça va, va le monde!” » initiated by French international radio station RFI. As an actor, Aristide Tarnagda has performed in several plays staged by worldrenown stage directors, including Christian Schiaretti (Une Saison au Congo, La Tragédie du Roi Christophe), Alexandre Koutchevsky (Ciel dans ma ville, Mgoulsda Yaam), and Eva Doumbia (La Traversée). In 2014, he was the coordinator for the theater laboratory ELAN at the festival Les Récréâtrales before succeeding Etienne Minoungou as the Executive Director.
SJANERA SOLOMON (Dramaturg) is a cultural planning strategist, curator, producer, and nonprofit leader based in Pittsburgh. Her curatorial work is motivated by a keen interest in artists who engage with the cultural and social issues of our time. Her curatorial projects include exhibitions, performances and community engagement projects with renowned artists: Kyle Abraham, Olivier Tarpaga, Alisha Wormsley, Sean Dorsey, Jaamil Kosoko, Angelica Dass, Vanessa German, Tavares Strachan, Damon Young, Terrance Hayes, and many others. A recognized leader in cultural planning, Janera has worked on numerous projects with visual artists, independent spaces, museums, and performing arts centers. She has notably collaborated with Lord Cultural Resources, a creative and museology consultancy based in Toronto, for projects such as Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco); Brooklyn Museum of Art; Ontario Ministry of Tourism; and planning and project management for August Wilson Center for African American History & Culture (Pittsburgh). She is currently a Policylink Fellow, a national research and action institute based in Oakland, California. For more than ten years, Janera served as Executive Director of the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, which produces and broadcasts contemporary performances. This place is a cultural anchor in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Janera has received numerous awards including: Pittsburgh Business Times, “Women of Influence,” Girl Scouts of SWPA, “Women of Distinction,” Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, “Women of Distinction,” and YWCA, “Racial Justice Awards.” Janera was named by Pittsburgh Magazine as one of the “50 Most Influential People in Pittsburgh.”
FABRICE BARBOTIN (Lighting Design/Technical Director) discovered the profession of electrical technician with Gilbert Tiberghien at the TNTManufacture de chaussures theater. Moved by his curiosity for performing arts, he went on to complete a course in stage management at the ISTS of Avignon and obtain his degree. He then started to collaborate as a stage manager and light designer for various companies – Hors Série, Régine Chopinot, la cie du Soleil Bleu, le Collectif Denisyak – and to cultivate his passion for light designing. Thanks to this experience, he pursued his professional journey with Antoine Auger, who played a key role in his artistic path, and then worked with