Brett Bailey / Third World Bunfight

In this radical take on Verdi’s Macbeth, Shakespeare’s story of greed, tyranny and remorse is set in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), amongst the wars and ruthless exploitation that tear that invisible corner of the world apart.

The on-going conflict is fueled by multinational corporations and corrupt regional governments and generals, greedy for the natural resources that swell their pockets. As in so many parts of the ‘developing world’, there is scant regard for the bloodshed and despair at the bottom of the supply chain.

Over the past 20 years there have been more deaths in the eastern DRC than in any conflict since World War II, and yet the crisis barely registers in the global media. The cost of a large proportion of the cell phones, gaming consoles, laptops and jewelry that we crave and consume is the carnage and misery that occur in the shadows cast by the bright lights of the First World.

Within a milieu of multinational double-dealings, ethnic conflict, ruthless militia, ‘blood minerals’ and glittering Chinese imports, a Congolese warlord, General Macbeth, and his ambitious wife murder the king and unleash atrocities on the crumbling province that they seize.

Verdi’s score has been rewritten and adapted for 12 onstage musicians by Belgian composer, Fabrizio Cassol. The work is performed by a tight ensemble of 10 South African opera singers, and the renowned trans-Balkan ‘No Borders Orchestra‘ conducted by Serbian conductor, Premil Petrovic.