Kana Kassy / Don't cry

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 on families, communities, and far beyond. Theatermaker Aminata Demba, who herself lost her parents at a young age, is a relative of Oulematou Niangadou. The horrific event still touches her deeply. As an eighteen-year-old, she drew hope from the shared mourning that she thought she saw across the communities afterward. 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 covenant across the different experiences of grief.