The Harvest of Broken Promises, Pankaj Tiwari / CAMPO

A sensitive portrait of farming through time PART 1 How do we remember the land once it stops feeding us? Can theatre capture the smell of soil, the ache of labour, or the true weight of a harvest? At the heart of The Harvest of Broken Promises is a simple yet urgent image: a piece of land that no longer remembers how to sustain itself. Born into a farming family, theatre maker Pankaj Tiwari revisits his memories of the traditional, sustainable agricultural practices of his youth, and reflects on their gradual disappearance over the past three decades. Since moving to Europe in 2019, Tiwari has observed local farming practices first-hand. Despite being on a different continent, he sees similar struggles, albeit marked by a distinct gap in time. In The Harvest of Broken Promises, Tiwari interweaves video footage, interviews, visual art, and folk tales. By blending his own history with the stories of farmers from across India and Europe, his play captures the profound tension between aspiration and survival. Tiwari’s narrative serves as a mirror for a generation caught between the glittering promises of progress, and the steady loss of ancestral knowledge. Duration: 70 minutes Language: In English, Hindi, Awadhi, Dutch, German & French (with surtitles) PART 2 Pankaj Tiwari is a theatre maker, writer, and curator from Balrampur, India. In his work, he brings Eastern perspectives into Western socio-political debates. He won the 3Package Deal Award and was a curator for Gessnerallee Zürich. His projects are presented internationally at leading venues such as Holland Festival, Kaaitheater, steirischer herbst, Thalia Theater, and Theater Rotterdam. From the 26-27 season onwards, his work will be produced by CAMPO. CREDITS concept, creation & text Pankaj Tiwari performance Pankaj Tiwari music Nazanin Yelda video, sound & interviews Prabhash Chandra text dramaturgy Maria Dogahe outside eye Pol Heyvaert production CAMPO co-production Internationales Sommer Festival Kampnagel (Hamburg), Theatre Festival Boulevard (‘s-Hertogenbosch), Kaaitheater (Brussels), MC93 (Bobigny), Studio Current (Amsterdam) with the support of the taxshelter of the Belgian Federal Government via uFund, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst & Het Cultuurfonds