Story-telling : When The Glass Is Too Broken To Repair

He is over 60, but his stage performance is so full of vigour. And could be likened to that of a young lad. Or someone in their thirties! His mastery of stagecraft is undeniable. And unbelievable. Never a moment of missing a line. Or pause because he forgot the next line. Everything went well - from the beginning to the end – and literally kept the audience on its toes. With ears and eyes wide open to savour more.
“I think it was one of the best theatre performances in Africa now. In terms of the quality of the text, play, technical aspects, especially lighting…,” said Francis Beidi, a playwright, novelist, magazine publisher… of David Noundji’s performance of “Verre cassé.” “If you mention professional theatre acting, “Verre cassé” as played by David Noundji is undoubtedly amongst. This is undeniable! I think the appreciation of the audience was enough proof of the quality of the performance philosophically, sociologically, ideologically, culturally…… It was high quality professional theatre acting!” Beidi noted. “For a comedian of over 60 years to hold the audience spell-bound for an hour without any hiccup is simply wonderful! There is no better acting than this!” Francis Beidi underscored.  
David Noundji is a household name in Cameroon theatre and story-telling performances. He was again on stage in the evening of Saturday, October 29, 2022 in the French Institute of Cameroon, Yaounde. Where he played “Verre cassé” (Broken Glass) by Alain Mabanckou. “The storey-telling performance went well. I have so far played the novel more than 60 times in 10 years. The novel was published in 2010 and I started playing it the same year in the French Institute of Cameroon in Douala. Then later in other Cameroonian towns, in Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy and Switzerland,” Noundji told Cameroon Tribune at the end of the thriller.
“Verre cassé” is the story of a school teacher who runs into problems with his job and family. And resorts to heavy alcohol consumption. One day he visits his usual bar to drink. And the owner soon discovers the teacher can write some French. He is then commissioned by the bar owner to do a story on the customers who visit the bar. The teacher takes advantage of the opportunity to also tell his own story. 
“The novel contains many stories, but my performance focused on the story of the school teacher. Which presents pedagogy and social problems. It raises the question of proper training of elementary school teachers. The general impression is that just about anybody is recruited to teach in primary school. The teacher in the story has problems at home, especially as he does not have a child. Since the gift of children solidifies...