Circus, Storytelling, and Imagination

Thursday, September 10

7:00 p.m.: Dramane Ouattara – dance class
8:30 p.m.: Dotcha / Adotey Akueson – dance class
9:30 p.m.: La Compagnie Ivoire Marionnettes – La Boule Bleue
10:30 p.m.: Innocent Yapi (CI) – Over a Cup of Tuareg Tea

Friday, September 11

5:30 p.m.: Éric Zongo – giant puppet show
5:30 p.m.: Dotcha – dance performance
6:00 p.m.: Cie AFUMA Togo – dance, stilts, and acrobatics
6:30 p.m.: La Compagnie Ivoire Marionnettes – La Boule Bleue
7:00 PM: Lezarticirque – acrobatic show
8:00 PM: Amson – concert
9:00 PM: Crazy Pony Show
9:30 PM: Petit Goro – Dogon blues from Mali
11:00 PM: Natty Jean – concert
12:30 AM: DJ Yojen – AfroHouse set
1:20 AM: Innocent Yapi – storytelling around the fire

Saturday, September 12

10:30 a.m.: Sylvie Mallard – storytelling
11:00 a.m.: Crazy Pony Show
11:30 a.m.: Éric Zongo, Dotcha, and Patrick Juvet Baka – giant puppets and mask parade
12:00 p.m.: Collectif Les Boutures – clown and circus performance about food consumption
1:00 p.m.: AFUMA Togo Company
2:00 PM: Crazy Pony Show
3:30 PM: SviTanok – Ukrainian dance
4:00 PM: Mali/Cape Verde Fashion Show
4:00 PM: La Compagnie Ivoire Marionnettes – during the fashion show
4:00 PM: Candela Viva – Colombian dance
5:00 PM: Dramane Ouattara – dance class
5:00 p.m.: Juggling performances, games, and audience interactions
6:00 p.m.: Compagnie Donsen – Kéné Kéné, Afro-contemporary dance and theater
7:00 p.m.: Waagal – concert
8:00 p.m.: Zappar – Le Peuple Lumière
9:00 p.m.: Dobet Gnahoré – concert
10:30 p.m.: Sylvie Mallard – storytelling
11:00 p.m.: Patrick Kabré – concert
12:45 a.m.: Innocent Yapi – storytelling around the fire

Sunday, September 13

10:30 a.m.: Dotcha, Patrick Juvet Baka, and Éric Zongo – giant puppets and Faux Lion mask parade – Ndongo Beye
11:00 a.m.: Capoeira Lausanne Association – demonstrations
11:30 a.m.: Rafa Belgini – belly dance
12:00 p.m.: Crazy Pony Show
12:30 p.m.: Kallpa Dance Company – Afro-Peruvian folk dances
1:00 PM: Inganzamarimbo Troupe – Drums of Burundi
2:00 PM: Christophe Erard & Keyvan Chemirani – concert
3:00 PM: Cie AFUMA Togo
3:30 PM: Bassekou Kouyaté & Amy Sacko – concert
5:00 PM: Kanazoé Orkestra – concert
5:00 PM: Rokia Traoré – intimate concert (canceled)

Get the full program

Circus, Storytelling, and Imagination

Innocent Yapi - Short Stories

Ivory Coast

Thursday 10:30 p.m. | Friday 1:20 a.m. | Saturday 12:45 a.m.

The enchanting twists and turns of the Yelen Festival weave together African folktales and stories from around the world. Songs, proverbs, and poetry intertwine in a gentle madness where the soul wanders. Each evening, a new story takes shape, shaped by the audience’s desires and dreams. One hundred tales, twenty poems—each explores the magic of words with a playful spirit. “The Gourd of Stories,” a vibrant tribute to the lively evening gatherings of the Attiés of yesteryear—where everyone takes part in a joyful moment—breathes new life into tales that have stood the test of time. In this space of freedom, the spoken word regains its brilliance, its flavor, and its wisdom… A return to our roots where everyone loses themselves in simplicity, joy, and tenderness.

At the Yelen Festival, the art of storytelling flourishes through enchanting encounters and shared experiences, where the bond that unites hearts and souls is lovingly woven with beautiful clarity.

Giant Puppets - Eric Zongo

Burkina Faso

Friday at 5:30 p.m. | Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

A storyteller, puppeteer, dancer, and choreographer from Burkina Faso, Éric ZONGO was introduced to mask dance and traditional African dance at a very young age in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. In 1996, he trained in theater and dance at the Espace Culturel Gambidi, then at the National Ballet in Ouagadougou in 1997. He then traveled alone throughout Burkina Faso to learn the specific technical aspects of the dances of his country’s various ethnic groups. He studied Afro-contemporary dance for six years with several Burkinabé companies (Alassane Congo, Salia ni Seydou, Irène Tassembédo).

Enriched by all these training experiences and personal and professional encounters, he now offers his own reimagined style of African dance: his unique teaching method, rooted in tradition, is based on passing down steps through replication and imitation. He draws on a variety of movements and rhythms to express the profound meaning of life. A dedicated and generous teacher, he loves to share his passion for African dances, which are always dynamic, festive, playful, and full of enthusiasm.

Lezarti'cirque

Switzerland

Friday at 7:00 p.m.

Under the big top, art flourishes. Bursts of laughter, boundless emotions—in this world of color, the circus comes to life. In reality, in three dimensions, it takes shape. The artistic, the social, and the emotional merge. Together, they chart new paths and come alive. Music and emotions resonate in unison. A vibrant collective, an enchanting atmosphere. A subtle blend of humor and feats of skill. Each act is a surprise, a moment of tenderness. Under the big top, magic abounds.
Circus for everyone—a moment of joy.

Crazy Pony

Switzerland / United Kingdom

Friday at 9:00 p.m. | Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. | Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

A virtuoso banjo, a charming double bass, precise harmonies, and—suddenly—an acrobatic act that breaks all the rules: Crazy Pony is a bluegrass duo that never stays still. Formed in 2011 by Léa Rovero of Switzerland and Frank Powlesland of England, the group combines their love of music, movement, and delightfully British humor. The result is an intense, generous, and unpredictable show, where the notes keep ringing out even in the most unlikely positions. Already acclaimed in more than twenty-five countries and across four continents, Crazy Pony has won first prize in two international competitions. As one review puts it: “An incredibly talented duo—they never miss a single note, no matter the position!”

Sylvie Mallard

Switzerland

Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.

She gives voice to the tales of Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Jura from her childhood. When she was little, her grandfather would take her along the steep trails of the Vaud Alps. These steep, rugged, and sometimes difficult trails were strewn with pebbles… pebbles that talk and chatter. During trips to Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as throughout Europe, she met storytellers and griots who introduced her to their oral traditions. From these pebbles gathered from around the world emerged the storytelling paths of Sylvie Mallard. Stories that knock on our doors, awaken our hearts, and make eyes sparkle—for young and old alike. They mark the paths of life, where wisdom and mischief go hand in hand. As a special education teacher, she has developed projects within her teaching approaches to strengthen social skills and foster community. She regularly tells stories in schools, libraries, prisons, and institutions for youth and adults who are socially marginalized.

Les Boutures Collective

Switzerland

Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

In the pizzeria they inherited from their Nonna, Bulle and Ginkino bustle about with the rough-and-ready seriousness of masterful disaster artists. Between two repurposed utensils and three plates balanced on their heads, the clown-pizza makers prepare the dough and kill time while waiting for it to rise. But on this particular day, the dough is in less of a hurry than the customers. Forced to dash to the supermarket, our two heroes discover that grocery shopping can turn into a real adventure. Consumed by consumerism, they return exhausted and disheveled, but still ready to make people laugh. During their adventures, the dough has finally risen. The pizzeria can open, and the chaos turns into a celebration. A delightful show where slapstick, tenderness, and a critique of our daily frenzy are served up piping hot.

A Tale of Giants

Switzerland

A once-close-knit family has been torn apart for the wrong reasons. Amid the pain and the silences, a child—abandoned far too soon—embarks on a quest with but one desire: to find his mother. To do so, he must bring together those whom anger has separated. His mother is the Queen of the Waves; his aunt, the Daughter of the Wheat Fields; his uncles, the Giant of the Peaks and the Giant of the Woods. Through them emerges an ode to forgiveness, tolerance, and respect for differences: a story in which mending bonds becomes the greatest of adventures. Both a participatory tale and a regional project, this production has journeyed for five years through the rural areas of Vaud. At each stop along the way, residents gather to celebrate their local lands and living traditions. From the Vaud Jura to Lavaux, from Gros-de-Vaud to the Vaud Alps, each region gives birth to a giant puppet, crafted as a fragment of collective memory.

Ivoire Puppet Company

Ivory Coast

Thursday 9:30 p.m. | Friday 6:30 p.m. | Saturday 4:00 p.m.

The Ivoire Marionnettes Company presents a variety of shows and original productions and trains young people in the art of puppetry. Based in Côte d’Ivoire, it has been in existence since 2007, with Mr. Soro Badrissa serving as Artistic Director. Composed of a team passionate about art and culture, the company includes several recognized instructors in the art of puppetry. It offers string puppet shows, performances featuring giant puppets, and the creation of promotional mascots. For over a decade, this artistic commitment has contributed to promoting African culture on a global scale, in addition to supporting the preservation of a sustainable social environment.

Donsen Company

Switzerland

Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

A woman recalls the night when, as a child, her life turned into a nightmare. Torn from her home and taken to a remote location deep in the forest where she underwent female genital mutilation, she endured the most agonizing hours of her life. When she tells her story, words are no longer enough: her body takes over. Every gesture brings back a buried memory; every movement offers a glimpse into the daily hell she still carries within her. Behind the wound, however, lies a simple and essential longing: to live her life as a woman to the fullest. Her deeply personal story could be that of so many others. Through dance and theater, the Donsen Company gives voice to those long-silenced and examines the inequalities between women and men. Amid pain, dignity, and resistance, the stage becomes a space for remembrance, denunciation, and hope.

Zappar - The People of Light

Switzerland

Saturday at 8:00 p.m.

At that fragile hour when the day is fading but night has not yet spread its wings, legend has it that the People of Light appear. They move through the twilight like a living lighthouse, prolonging the world’s radiance and guiding the steps of those who still know how to look. Guardians of Alpine memories, this enchanted bestiary brings together the wolf and the fox, the ibex, the stag and the doe, the owl and the golden eagle. Messengers from on high, these spirits cross the boundaries of the invisible, accompany souls into the afterlife, and bring back among us a breath of ancient wisdom. The People of Light return when human beings need them and their hearts are ready to welcome them: during ceremonies, at the end of harvests, with the changing of the seasons or the phases of the moon, when celebration brightens faces and forgiveness finds its place. Through its wandering performances—including “Transhumance”—its shows “Les Cauchemars de Lune,” “Au saut du lit,” and “La Pipe cassée,” as well as its scenographic installations, Zappar transforms every event into a passage into a dream world.