WAX TRADERS

African Wax Prints | Power music | Girl power

Wax products play an important cultural and economic role in Africa, and «WAX TRADERS» tells the story of two daring women on the west coast of Africa who, in times of political upheaval, skillfully assert themselves in global markets, navigate colonial structures and defy stark inequalities. They meet two traveling salesmen who are seeking their fortune on the so-called «Gold Coast» on behalf of the Basel Trading Company. Together, they create a market for «African wax prints» – colorfully printed cotton fabrics developed by Dutch and Swiss textile companies by copying Indonesian patterns and printing techniques.

In their new musical theater piece, Eva-Maria Bertschy and Kojack Kossakamvwe work with a truly transnational ensemble of artists from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Switzerland. Inspired by traditional narrative forms and carried by a choir of three women, they create an expansive ballad about the centuries-old trade relations between the Swiss textile industry and its customers in West Africa, telling a piece of Swiss colonial history.

After performing «ECOSYSTEM» in 2024 at the Theater Casino Zug – a multimedia musical about ecosystems that get out of whack – Swiss/African Group 50:50 are back in Zug with their new docu-show «WAX TRADERS’. This musical epic takes the audience on a fascinating journey across continents and centuries.