The play Chasselay and other massacres by Eva Doumbia pays tribute to the Senegalese riflemen massacred in 1940, presented at the Théâtre Public de Montreuil from January 14 to 24, 2026. This creation combines documented theatre, music and polyphonic narratives to unearth a forgotten memory linked to colonialism and racism. It is part of a trilogy exploring Afropean history, with a polyphonic and hybrid narrative structure that progresses in crescendo towards the massacre.
Historical context
In June 1940, in Chasselay near Lyon, 188 West African riflemen, called “Senegalese”, were massacred by the Nazis after the capture of the village, while the white soldiers were taken prisoner. These men, from the French colonies, embody the colonial and racial tensions of the time. The village cemetery, with red stones, today honors their memory.
Synopsis and narrative structure
Eva Doumbia, from her discovery of the Chasselay cemetery, imagines a fresco where an author-investigator reconstructs 1940 : arrival of the sharpshooters, distrust of the villagers, friendships, loves, denunciations and betrayals culminating on June 20.
Initial situation : The author discovers the cemetery, triggering her investigation; arrival of soldiers fleeing the Germans, distrust of the inhabitants, nascent loves.
Dramatic rise : Voices of the riflemen (African languages subtitled), inhabitants (fears, denunciations) and Nazis alternate; music by kora and piano amplifies colonial tensions.
Climax and denouement : Massacre of June 20; confrontation with oblivion, end on a festive symbolic table linking past and present Afropean.
The voices of combatants and inhabitants mingle to humanize these invisibilized soldiers.
Artistic team
- Text and staging : Eva Doumbia (éditions Actes Sud-Papiers)
- Actors : Lyly Chartiez-Mignauw, Simon Decobert, Mata Gabin (or Clémentine Ménard), Jocelyne Monier, Anthony Poupard, Frederico Semedo Rocha, Souleymane Sylla
- Musicians : Lionel Elian (piano), Lamine Soumano (kora)
- Other : Scenography (Aurélie Lemaignen, Heidi Folliet), Lights (Stéphane Babi Aubert), Costumes (Laurianne Scimemi)
Thematic analysis
Doumbia continues his work on persistent racism, linking French colonialism and Nazism to repair oblivion via theater and Afropean music. Humanizing the riflemen, she questions collective memory and past-present links, as in Le Iench. This show teaches about the invisibilization of African heroes in 1940.
Programming and places
- Théâtre Public de Montreuil (salle Jean-Pierre Vernant, 48 rue Marcel Outran, 93100 Montreuil): from 14 to 24 January 2026, Monday-Friday 8 pm, Saturday 6 pm (Sunday break), 2 hours and 30 minutes, from 13 years old. Events: audio description 17/01, talk 22/01, festive table 24/01.
- Other dates : CDN Normandie-Rouen (September 2025), Théâtre du Nord (Lille), Le Volcan (Le Havre), and ongoing tour (check official sites).
Ticketing : theatrepublicmontreuil.com or FNAC
