The Columbian Pablo Emilio Escobar, also known as the ›The Boss‹, is considered alongside his declared role model, Al Capone, as one of the most notorious, ruthless drugs barons of all-time. Although he held his home country and the international community to ransom over years, he was at the same time a much loved benefactor of the poorest neighbourhoods of the city of Medellín. America’s declared state enemy number one in the nineties, he was finally shot dead by a special commando while fleeing in 1993. ›Discurso de un hombre decente (que exporta flores)‹ is a performance created by the theatre makers ›Mapa Teatro‹ from Bogotá based on a fictional speech found on Escobar’s corpse and intended for the day he would be elected president of Colombia. In it he put forward a solution that would remove Colombia from the list of third world countries for good: the legalization of drugs…

Credits

Production: Kaaitheater (Brussels) and Siemens Stiftung ,Festival Iberomaricano de Teatro de Bogota

The performance at PACT Zollverein is made possible by the support of the Ministry for Families, Children, Youth, Culture and Sports of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.