China has requested the cancellation of a play about Taiwan scheduled to be performed in Strasbourg, France, prompting the city’s mayor to denounce the intervention as “extremely serious.”
The city of Strasbourg’s theater, Le Maillon, is set to present “Ceci n’est pas une ambassade (Made in Taïwan)” by Swiss director Stefan Kaegi and the Rimini Protokoll collective from Thursday through Saturday. The play is designed to function as a “theatrical embassy” for Taiwan, which lacks formal diplomatic representation in most countries.
Strasbourg Mayor Jeanne Barseghian told Agence France-Presse that she received a letter from the Chinese consulate requesting the play’s cancellation, citing concerns that it could complicate diplomatic relations between China and France.
Barseghian stated she responded to the consulate by emphasizing French law, which protects artistic and creative freedom. “It simply protects freedom of creation and artistic expression in France,” she said.
“This really should worry us,” Barseghian added, expressing her support for the Maillon team and reaching out to state cultural services. She described the incident as “extremely serious” in the context of what she called “repeated and close attacks on freedom of creation.”
The Chinese consulate in Strasbourg has not yet responded to questions from AFP. China views Taiwan as a province and has not ruled out using force to assert its sovereignty over the island, opposing any diplomatic relations between Taiwan and foreign nations.
Stefan Kaegi, originally from Solothurn, Switzerland, and a founder of Rimini Protokoll, has received numerous prestigious theater awards, including the Hans Reinhart Ring in 2015 and the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2011. “Ceci n’est pas une ambassade (Made in Taiwan)” has already been performed in cities including Vienna, Berlin, Basel, and Lausanne, as well as in Taipei.
