For six years, nine universities - seven from Europe and two from Africa - worked together to research a new way of approaching the migration discourse. Thus the Opportunities project was born. As part of the results, an artistic creation had to emerge.

For this, they joined forces with the Royal Flemish Theatre of Brussels (KVS). Michael De Cock, artistic director of the KVS, and Junior Mthombeni, one of its main creators, conceived the play Hannibal - an experience that explores the tension between the actual encounter and the discourse about it.

Starting from the iconic figure of Hannibal Barca, the play invites reflection on the cyclical nature of migration, the dehumanising impact of wars, and the fantasies built around ‘the other’. Hannibal is a total spectacle fusing opera singers, DJs, hip-hop and performance, bringing together an exceptional team of talented artists from Belgium, Catalonia, Morocco, Senegal and other countries.

In their lecture performance Hannibal, Dido, Aeneas and the monsters, De Cock and Mthombeni take us on a journey through the creative process of a project marked by encounters. They also reflect on the impact of art in a polarised world, where dehumanisation has become one of the most common practices.