Eugène Momo Ekissi is a play-wright, director, actor, puppeteer, storyteller and African musician.
He comes from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), West Africa.
After graduating in law, he devoted himself to the study of modern literature as well as theatre
studies. Momo holds a diploma from the Cycle Supérieur d’Études Théâtrales de l’Ecole Normale
Supérieure (E.N.S.) and the Institut National Supérieure des Artes et de l’Action Culturelle
(I.N.S.A.A.C.) of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Momo was the director of the company “Masques et balafons” (Centre Universitaire d’Art
Dramatique) of the University of Abidjan, of which he was one of the directors.
One of his passions is to give theatre courses, catering for all age groups including pre-school
children, for whom he offers creative galleries.
Momo Ekissi has regularly worked with different cultural institutions at the international and
developmental level as part of his projects including the: Goethe Institute, Centre Culturel
Français, German Embassies in Africa, Centre Culturel Américains, FNUAP, PNUD, Plan
International, ONG Hellen Keller, Africare, E.U. GTZ, etc.
He has accompanied, as well as participated in numerous training seminars for acting and
directing; for example, in 2006 at the trinational training (Germany, France, Poland) at Schloss
Trebniz in Berlin, which dealt with further training in intercultural theatre work.
Momo Ekissi has lived and worked in Freiburg for several years founding the Dreisam Theatre
there and helping to determine artistic and intercultural events in the city. Also in Freiburg, Momo
founded the international German-French theatre: incorporating narration and puppet theatre
which has held annual festivals since it’s conception in 2010). In 2013 he added the Freiburg Solo
Festival to his resume.
A Tae Kwon Do master, Momo is also active as an actor in cinema, television, radio drama and
photo-film.
Since 2013, Momo Ekissi has been working at the Cargo Theatre in Freiburg, after collaborating
on several intercultural projects with Theater-Handstand.
As an actor, director, narrator and trainer in various disciplines his work has made him an
internationally recognised figure working in Benin, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia,
Cap Verde, Congo, Central Africa, Cameroon, France, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Croatia and
Israel amongst others.
Momo Ekissi gives theatre lessons upon request, introducing the art of storytelling, awakening the
sense of and the desire for rhythm with African instruments. When his schedule permits he has
even been known to make house calls – a play or a story with puppets … His plays are for all ages
and his characters are a feast for the eyes of children!
On this blog we regularly publish new articles about the construction site in Kolk, the scientific work in the
Museum archive and puppet theatre productions in the Puppet Theatre Lübeck.
