A fusion of music, live drawing and visual storytelling took centre stage in Dhaka as Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) and the Liberation War Museum jointly presented Le Voyage de Rézé on Tuesday night.
The multidisciplinary performance, held at the Liberation War Museum, took the audience on an artistic journey exploring cultural diversity, human encounters, borders and the connections that bring people together.
Created by Les Productions du Bazar, the production combined live music, singing, percussion, illustration and video in an intimate setting where sound and images developed alongside one another.
Moving beyond the conventional concert format, the performance brought together songs from different cultures, original compositions, familiar melodies and lesser-known or newly created pieces.
Live sketches by artist and illustrator Emé transformed observations of people, places and encounters into drawings before the audience, adding a visual dimension to the musical experience.
The four-member team featured Rézé, a guitarist, singer and composer whose musical influences include jazz and African and Brazilian traditions; Sofiran, a percussionist and vocalist exploring African, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms; Emé, who specialises in illustration and live drawing; and Christoo, whose work spans video, photography and artistic production.
Together, the artists combined their distinct creative approaches to create a performance in which music, images and movement became interconnected forms of expression.
For the artists, travel extends beyond geographical boundaries to encompass the discovery of different people, languages, cultures and personal stories. Through this approach, Le Voyage de Rézé sought to create a space for cultural dialogue and shared experiences.
The production has previously been staged at theatres, cultural centres, schools, libraries and festivals across France. The artists have also undertaken international projects in Réunion, El Salvador, Burkina Faso and Brazil, incorporating workshops, exhibitions, meetings and travel journals into their artistic journeys.
Alongside its performances, the project maintains an educational and participatory focus. The artists regularly organise intergenerational workshops on music, rhythm, percussion, drawing, photography and video, using creative practice to encourage learning and exchange between generations.