Inauguration ceremony of the theatrical play "The man with rubber sandals" - symbol of friendship between Vietnam and Algeria

On February 15, 2023, the Vietnam Drama Theater held an inauguration ceremony in Hanoi for the play "The Man in the Rubber Sandals" based on the work of the same name by Algerian writer Kateb Yacine. Were present at the ceremony Mr. Boubazine Abdelhamid, Ambassador of Algeria to Vietnam; Mr. Saadi Salama, Ambassador of Palestine, Head of the Diplomatic Corps; Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, newly appointed Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria, Mrs. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of the Department of International Cooperation; representatives of ministries and leaders and actors of the Vietnamese drama theatre.

Speaking at the ceremony, the director of the Vietnam Drama Theatre, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Bac, said that thanks to the initiative of the Algerian Embassy and the connection of the Department of International Cooperation, the Drama drama of Vietnam was entrusted by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism to stage the play "The man with the rubber sandals". He affirmed that the Vietnam Drama Theater is always ready to keep up with the development of society and global artistic trends, in which international exchanges and cooperation have always been given great importance. The inauguration ceremony of the play "The Man in the Rubber Sandals" is a milestone in the cooperation between the Vietnam Drama Theater and the Embassy of Algeria in Vietnam, helping to promote cooperation in the field of between the two countries, improving the cultural life of the public while bringing Vietnamese theater closer to art-loving audiences around the world. He hopes the play will be performed in the author's hometown in the future.

On this occasion, the Ambassador of Algeria to Vietnam, Mr. Boubazine Abdelhamid thanked the Directorate of International Cooperation and the Dramatic Theater of Vietnam for their support to the Embassy in the production of the play in Vietnam. The ambassador declared that Kateb Yacine (1929-1989) is one of the main founders of modern French-language Maghrebi literature. He is “The greatest and most brilliant of Algerian authors. according to specialists. After the independence of Algeria, Kateb Yacine demonstrates his universalist struggle through a three-year stay in Vietnam from 1967 to 1970. This stay in Ho Chi Minh's Vietnam is essential for his conception of the struggle of peoples in an anti-colonial revolution. The literary product of this unique experience in the life of the poet is a theatrical play The Man with Rubber Sandals staged in Lyon by Marcel Maréchal and in Algiers by Mustapha Kateb.

During the inauguration ceremony of the play, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, expressed her thanks to the Embassy of Algeria and the Dramatic Theater of Vietnam for leading a good collaboration for the installation of the play "The Man in the Rubber Sandals" and she felt that the actors of the Vietnam Drama Theater will devote all their enthusiasm and talent to the successful performance of the work, so that the play becomes a gift for the peoples of the two countries and makes a practical contribution to the consolidation of the traditional friendship between the two countries, particularly in the field of culture and art. Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa affirmed that the Department of International Cooperation always shares and accompanies the Embassy of Algeria and the Dramatic Theater of Vietnam in this project and hopes that not only the public in Vietnam but also the public in Algeria and in many other countries will also have the opportunity to enjoy the piece by the Algerian author interpreted by Vietnamese artists.

The play "The Man with the Rubber Sandals" is based on the poetry work of the same name by the Algerian author, consisting of eight acts with around 150 characters. The content covers the entire history of Vietnam, from the Hai Ba Trung uprising to the heroic struggles to save the country from the Vietnamese people. The work is a historical performance by art represented through many characters, in particular President Ho Chi Minh, Hero of national liberation, Great man of culture who inspires, encourages oppressed peoples, aspires to freedom and rise to defeat the old and the new colonialism. The play "The Man in the Rubber Sandals" is directed by Dr. Excellence Professor Le Manh Hung, two artists Le Quang Dao and Nguyen Minh Hai play the role of Nguyen Ai Quoc.