No – the choreographer Lemi Ponifasio and his Maori company MAU will not show an idyllic South Sea version of «The tempest». Shakespeare’s drama is rather the starting point for Ponifasio’s reflections on the political situation of his homeland – the Samoan islands. At the centre of his inquest are the increasing loss of sovereign rights and the establishment of legal black holes, which he locates not only in places such as Guantánamo Bay. «Tempest II» is a «hearing on stage» and speaks out against injustice in a unique creative language combining the traditional with the modern. Ponifasio’s minimalist choreography plays with elements of traditional dance forms and Oceanic rituals. Public speech, an element central to the oral culture of the island world, plays another important role: Maori activist Tame Iti speaks about how political rights have changed over the past centuries. (esc)