Askmarou Sitou and Sefako Agbokou planned to adapt Florence Grillot's play Les Enquêtes de l'Inspecteur Farfouille, designed for children aged 5 to 12, into a digital and immersive theatrical work. Below are excerpts from the residency report by the two artists, presenting their feedback.

"This is our first experience in France in the field of creation for young people. Our company, based in Togo and committed to Africa for several years, is discovering a new cultural space here. This preparatory work should pave the way for the next stage in Lomé, in collaboration with the artistic and technical team (set designer, lighting designer, sound designer), whom we will meet again to finalize the show. In France, this period has allowed us to experiment, analyze, and anticipate this future collaboration.

From June 2 to 8, the artists were in a phase of reflection and preparation for the project, which included a meeting with the Cité du Mot team to clarify the artistic vision and discuss distribution prospects, the provision of the necessary working tools, a meeting with Florence Grillot to ensure the coherence of the adaptation and its fidelity to the original work, and a workshop with a class of first-grade students to present the project, exchange ideas with the children, collectively create characters, and initiate a participatory writing process.

From June 9 to 29, the workshop and rehearsal phase began. To do this, the artists focused on memorization, staging, lighting, and sound design, working closely with the CCR team to benefit from their expert advice and critical eye. On June 20, an open rehearsal was held to gather feedback from the audience and refine the show accordingly. Scenes were also prepared by the students with their teacher to contribute to the collective production. A final open rehearsal took place on June 29, with the contribution of actress Camille Lamache to enrich the final stage of preparation.

After the final rehearsal on June 30, the final version was presented to the second-grade students on July 1, in the presence of Philippe Le Moine (director of the Cité du Mot), Émilie Richez (production manager at the Cité du Mot), and Lucie Richard (communications officer at the Cité du Mot).

"Their active participation and complete satisfaction allowed us to gather their impressions, which attested to the success of this stage. “

”This trip to France strengthened the artistic coherence of the project, while ensuring its fidelity to the original work. It allowed us to experiment with different staging and mediation methods with young audiences and to refine the final version thanks to feedback from spectators and professionals.

These adjustments provide a solid foundation for the next stage in Lomé, where collaboration with the technical team (set designer, director, sound designer) will enrich the creation.

Convinced that this participatory, innovative approach, tailored to a young audience, will be successful, we are continuing our efforts to make “Odyssée Littéraire!” a rich and interactive artistic experience. We are convinced that this initial stage has laid a solid foundation for a creation that is innovative, participatory, and faithful to the spirit of the work, which will culminate in Lomé.

Building on this stage in France, we want to increase our outreach activities to reach a wider audience, particularly through festivals, school visits, and community events, in order to promote the production.

In addition, we are continuing our reflection on digital adaptation and interactivity in order to deepen the participatory dimension and broaden the formats of the show. These developments aim to consolidate an open and multi-media artistic approach, adapted to the challenges of education and culture in Africa and elsewhere.

Finally, this experience encourages us to build lasting partnerships in order to increase the visibility of our project in new markets and promote artistic and educational cooperation between France and Africa.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of this residency. Their commitment, support, and collaboration were essential. Special mention goes to the team at La Cité du Mot for their warm welcome and professionalism throughout the project. We warmly thank Florence Grillot, author of the work, for her trust and support, as well as Sylvie Alberti and her CE1 class at Clairs Bassins, whose active participation enriched the creative process.