Kana Kassy / Don't Cry

Aminata Demba, Clara van den Broek and Annelies Verbeke are creating a performance about grief, which does not shy away from rawness, but chooses a form that allows for light and openness. A warm look at different experiences of grief. On May 11, 2026, it will be twenty years since Oulematou Niangadou and Luna Drowart were murdered in the center of Antwerp. A racist attack that left scars in families, communities, and far beyond. Theatermaker Aminata Demba, who herself lost her parents young, is family of Oulematou Niangadou. The horrific event still touches her deeply. As an eighteen-year-old, she drew hope from the shared grief that she thought she saw across the communities afterwards. Until it suddenly disappeared again. With a deep desire to make that connection tangible again, Demba joined forces with author Annelies Verbeke and SKaGeN actress Clara van den Broek, who is also familiar with early loss. Their conversations with survivors became an intense search, in which their own stories also inevitably played a role. This performance does not shy away from the rawness of grief, but chooses a form that allows for light and openness. In this way, ‘Kana Kassy / Niet Huilen’ makes room for a new bond across the different experiences of grief. Met Aminata Demba and Clara van den Broek | Tekst Annelies Verbeke | Scenography, light and sound Erik Engels | Production SKaGeN & De Studio | With the support of Tax Shelter, PerPodium, De Vlaamse Gemeenschap