Born in Gonfreville-l’Orcher in the suburbs of Le Havre, Eva Doumbia studied modern literature and theatre at the University of Provence, then stagecraft at the Unité Nomade de Formation. In 1999 she founded the La Part du Pauvre/Nana Triban company, and has directed some twenty shows that have premiered and toured in France and abroad. She works at the intersection of several domains, working regularly with artists from other disciplines and stepping outside theatres to present performances and small-format pieces in unusual settings. An avid reader and literary scout, she was on the jury for the Mahogany Prize, awarded to writers from Africa and its diasporas. She presented works by Aristide Tarnagada (Burkina Faso) and the Léonora Miano (Cameroon) for the first time on the French stage, and was one of the first people to work with Dieudonné Niangouna (directing the world premiere of Niangouna’s Attitude clando) and Marie-Louise Bibish Mumbu. Her first novel, Anges Fêlées, published by Vents d’Ailleurs in October 2016, was read at the Francophonies en Limousin festival in 2016. Eva Doumbia is also a teacher, and runs regular training sessions and workshops in Africa and the Caribbean. She is artistic director of several multidisciplinary events dedicated to French cultures of African descent, including AfricaParis at the Carreau du Temple (Paris, 2015) and Massilia Afropea at the Friche Belle de Mai (Marseille, 2016). She is also a member of the “Décoloniser les Arts” collective, whose members are French-born artists and arts journalists belonging to minorities.
Eva Doumbia
Eva Doumbia defines herself as an ethnic, cultural and social hybrid. Like African performance arts that combine dance, music and acting, her work mixes forms and disciplines, forgin artistic and cultural connections between Africa, the Caribbean and Marseille, where she lives.
