Interview with William Kentridge, about "The Great Yes, The Great No" (2024)

Through this interview, William Kentridge talks about 'The Great Yes, The Great No',  a musical theater piece inspired by the history of the ship Capitaine-Paul-Lemerle, which in 1941 transported refugees from Marseille to Martinique to escape the Vichy regime, including famous intellectuals such as André Breton and Claude Lévi-Strauss.

How does he turn this historical event into a contemporary debate? What symbolism lies behind his choice of putting the boat as the main stage of his play? Why did he use cardboard masks to represent the people on the boat?

‘The Great Yes, The Great No’ took place at LUMA Arles from Sunday, July 7 to Wednesday, July 10, 2024, in partnership with the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.