HOW TO FEED A DICTATOR
A joint project of Rekultur platform and Krajinou přílivu association is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Polish reporter Witold Szabłowski, who interviewed the personal chefs of the most cruel dictators of the 20th century.
Five evenings presented by several creative teams combine documentary theatre, site-specific performance, and expert discussion. Through the intimate space of the kitchen, the smell of spices, and the clinking of dishes, we will look into the privacy of individuals who once moved history with full stomachs. Their echoes can still be heard in the current turmoil of world events, and together we will try to capture them.
Each evening is an original authorial form prepared by creators of the contemporary independent scene. Director Ewa Zembok's team will explore the story of the laughing cook of Cambodian leader Pol Pot, who, like a god from the malarial depths of the jungle, sent death to millions of his people. The same team will present a chef chosen by God for higher goals who knows the best recipes for a sacrificial roasted goat for Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Spielraum Kollektiv will look under the lids in which food was cooked for the cold-blooded Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Director Eliáš Gaydečka and his team will revive a Kafkaesque prison in the form of the kitchen of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, the mastermind of the strangest European dictatorship of the last century. The team of actor, performer and director Jakub Gottwald will examine gastronomic dreams and the reality of endless queues for empty shelves from the world of the leader of/from Cuban people Fidel Castro.
Individual work-in-progress presentations will take place from April to October 2026. At the end, a two-day mini-festival will be held in October, during which the complete pentalogy of all performances will be presented.
The project also serves as a platform for cooperation with the Department of Theory and Criticism at DAMU. Students, under the guidance of the head of the department, Jan Jiřík, are involved in the creative process and its broader circumstances as "internal critics", thereby bringing fresh reflection and connecting artistic practice with academia.
A joint project of Rekultur platform and Krajinou přílivu association is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Polish reporter Witold Szabłowski, who interviewed the personal chefs of the most cruel dictators of the 20th century.
Each evening is an original authorial form prepared by creators of the contemporary independent scene. Director Ewa Zembok's team will explore the story of the laughing cook of Cambodian leader Pol Pot, who, like a god from the malarial depths of the jungle, sent death to millions of his people. The same team will present a chef chosen by God for higher goals who knows the best recipes for a sacrificial roasted goat for Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Spielraum Kollektiv will look under the lids in which food was cooked for the cold-blooded Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Director Eliáš Gaydečka and his team will revive a Kafkaesque prison in the form of the kitchen of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, the mastermind of the strangest European dictatorship of the last century. The team of actor, performer and director Jakub Gottwald will examine gastronomic dreams and the reality of endless queues for empty shelves from the world of the leader of/from Cuban people Fidel Castro.
Individual work-in-progress presentations will take place from April to October 2026. At the end, a two-day mini-festival will be held in October, during which the complete pentalogy of all performances will be presented.