Five intense days, eight sold-out performances and a wide range of reactions. This was Dignity at Theater Aan Zee 2026, Ostend.
Video reportage Focus and WTV
“Dignity” – the moving theatrical piece by Chokri Ben Chikha [and Action Zoo Humain] (…) The Ostend-based theatre maker does not shy away from uncomfortable views, yet avoids resorting to clichés about the migrant crisis. Ultimately, only one thing remains: human dignity. And Chokri captures this perfectly in a confrontation that is at times acrimonious.”
“The second half was brilliant. Truly brilliant.” – Yves De Smet (former editor-in-chief of De Morgen)
“There you go, it really gets to you. I had tears in my eyes, and even running down my cheeks.” – Member of the audience, Focus and WTV
De Standaard | ★★★★☆ | Wouter Hillaert, Liv Laveyne, Filip Tielens
“(…) in this war of words, you are given a particularly interesting array of diverse opinions over the course of a good two hours: on the phenomenon of the ‘zoos humains’, on how Tunisia handles European funds, and on the recent waves of migration from the Belgian coast to the United Kingdom.”
PZAZZ | Pieter T’Jonck
“Dignity is a valuable performance (…) because it makes a heroic attempt to give a voice to all sides of the debate on migration and (neo-)colonialism (…) An incredibly difficult exercise, in which, as a member of the audience, you are constantly forced to take a stance whenever one side presents its arguments.”
Johan Thielemans (Auteur, Vlaams theatercriticus)
“Ben Chikha [and Action Zoo Humain] once again demonstrate just how compelling political theatre can be when it lays bare the contradictions of the modern world.”
Björn Prasse (Burgemeester van Blankenberge)
“It was a very contemporary and relevant theme, certainly for a coastal mayor. That’s why I found it genuinely captivating and confrontational. And that’s what socially engaged art is meant to do: to give us a jolt of conscience time and time again. Naturally, you take a great deal away from it, given such powerful performances and a script of that calibre.”
“What makes Dignity so powerful is that it doesn’t provide ready-made answers. Nothing is forced upon you. You’re presented with different perspectives and challenged to think for yourself. That is perhaps the greatest strength of this production.”
