Review of ‘11 and 12′ directed by Peter Brook

(c) Pascal Victor ArtComArt

‘11 and 12’ written by Malian scribe Amadou Hampate Ba is a cautionary tale about the dangers posed by religious ritual devoid of understanding and spiritual maturity.  An autobiographical piece set in the early part of the 20th Century it chronicles the spiralling tension between Islamic communities in the small town of Bandiagara, Mali over whether a specific prayer should be repeated 11 or 12 times.  The dispute has been ongoing for generations after a comedy of errors surrounding a particular Muslim sage led to confusion amongst his disciples over how often the prayer should be recited.  After the death of the Sufi and no explanation forthcoming from him prior to it, what at first seems like a minor discrepancy eventually leads to splits in the community and violent clashes between factions.  A new generation of religious teachers Tierno Bokar and Cherif Hamallah, although on ‘opposing’ sides of the argument, join forces to calm the madness.  However getting their followers to listen to them is a Herculean task neither man might survive.

Growing up amidst this turmoil Hampaté Ba (played by Tunji Lucas) and his community are also coming to terms with the culture clash that ensues when French interference looms large.  The colonial administrators are only too ready to exploit the conflict to their ends using typical divide-and-rule tactics.

The grim nature of the subject matter notwithstanding, ’11 and 12’ is not the relentlessly dour affair one would expect.  Its multiracial, all ages cast leap around director Peter Brook’s vibrant set to the gentle persistence of Toshi Tsuchitori’s serene soundtrack, with an exuberance that somehow doesn’t undermine the severity of the issues.  Hampaté Ba sprinkles his work liberally with enough humour to show the ludicrous nature of the religious contention itself as well as the pomposity of colonialism and the indignation that its subjects suffer.

(c) Pascal Victor ArtComArt

’11 and 12’ really excels as a concise account of France’s occupation of Mali.  Despite the play’s relative brevity (90 minutes without interval) it avoids being a merely superficial study of the pernicious presence of the colonial powers.  It achieves this by use of anecdote; reflecting the changes to the everyday lives of the Malians it affected.  A good example is a scene involving the writer’s mother who is reluctant for him to attend the French school lest he ‘become an infidel’.

Makram J Khoury and Khalifa Natour bring the requisite gravitas to their roles as the sages Bokar and Hamallah.  At times some of the actors merely recite their lines instead of breathing life into them but the overall energy of the play saves the performances from being completely wooden.  There are no female cast members and only two (brief) female roles (played by Lucas and Jared McNeill).  This could be subtle commentary on the invisibility of women in certain Islamic cultures or just an accident of casting; otherwise it is slightly puzzling.
Nevertheless, ’11 and 12’ is an intelligent and lively dialectic piece on faith, culture and the devastating effect of man’s pettiness.

11 and 12
Adapted from the works of Amadou Hampate Ba
by Marie-Helene Estienne and Peter Brook
Directed by Peter Brook
Music by Toshi Tsuchitori

11 and 12 at the Barbican until 27 February. Details and tickets