The Benin International Theater Festival (FITHEB) is a festival created in 1990 by the Beninese Ministry of Culture and the cultural mission of the French Embassy in Benin.

The first edition was held in 1991. The FITHEB, is the work of the trio Antoine DADELE, alias DARASTONE, under the Beninese Public Administration, Tola KOUKOUI, Beninese director and private cultural entrepreneur, and Yves BOURGUIGNON, then Director of the French Cultural Center of Cotonou. Designed to federate the peoples and cultures of Africa and the world by making Benin the world capital of theater, the FITHEB is a Biennial whose main objective is to promote and celebrate the Beninese and African theater, in all its forms .

Since its creation, the FITHEB, which aims to celebrate African theater through World Theater Day on March 27 each year has already had twelve (13) editions.

The 14th edition of the International Theater Festival of Benin (FITHEB) will be held from 16 to 24 November 2018, in six cities in Benin including Cotonou, Lokossa, Parakou, Natitingou, Abomey and Porto-Novo for 75 theater shows. The theme for this edition is « Theater, Civic and Social Engagement for Sustainable Development in Benin, Africa and the World ».

Several foreign countries will be part of the event , Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Ivory Coast, France, Haiti, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Togo and Tunisia. Benin will be represented by  works as « The Chronicler of the Pr », « The bone of Mor Lam », « The Tragedy of King Césaire », « 7 Billion Neighbors », « December 25 », « Black Spot on the heart, «  » The shame of the pretense or A lesson in calculation « , The other paintings are » Yêkou or The Tale At Us « , » My father is a Comic « , and » Touch My Body, Do not Touch My Body « .

As for foreign delegations, groups from the official selection of MASA 2018 will be present; Cie Malo Malam(Cameroon), Atrium Tropiques (France – Martinique) and Bak’in Godo (Ivory Coast) who will interpret respectively « I am Charlotte », « The fabulous destiny of Amadou Hampâté Bâ », « Who are you?, you who drags me? « . It should be noted that this edition will also be enhanced by several other activities including a communication campaign, a round table, meetings of festival directors and professionals.

Created in 2012, the company Bak’in Gado is composed of 4 members, all trained at the Higher Institute of Arts and Cultural Action (INSAAC) including a storyteller GRAH Rodrigue Ange, a trumpet player ATTA Fulgence Cyr Armand, a balafon player BALOUGBEU Zoh Jacques Hervé and a percussionist AKE Olloé Sempé. The name of the company « Bak’in Gado » means « black heritage » in the Hausa language, spoken in a large number of African countries in the center and the west.

Bak’In Gado draws on the successful experiences of storytelling with young people to undertake through their shows a trainning of the spirit by giving hope to the youth. The tales recited by GRAH Angel Rodrigue and his friends invoke a host of feelings: laughter, melancholy, suspense, reflection … Dance and singing are also inviting in these multiform performances to reinvent in depth the tradition of African tales . The storyteller combines humor and philosophy with an innate sense of rhythm in his speech to infuse a dynamic to the funny or moving stories he declaims. He plays with other musicians, juggles notes and words and thus invents a new form of stand-up.

In addition, Bak’in Gado will participate in the 11th edition of the festival Émergences-Arts et Racines which is held from 19 to 24 November 2018 in Niamey, Niger.