Golden Child

Children in Plettenberg Bay (South Africa) and Ghent sing together to welcome the sun during a parallel ritual. Come and send comfort across the ocean!

Golden Child is a twelve-hour ritual for children who have recently suffered a tragic loss. Barbara Raes, co-artistic director of NTGent, created the ritual in 2018 a Belgian theatre festival and has been touring the world with it since this year. At the end of January and beginning of February, Golden Child will land in the South African coastal town of Plettenberg Bay, where the beauty of nature and the extravagance of the many tourists contrast sharply with the tragedy in the lives of many local children.

Together with Lunchbox Theatre and Born in Africa, every morning between 26 January and 2 February 2026, a child will be invited to ritually welcome the sun from the Indian Ocean. NTGent will create a parallel ritual in Ghent on Sunday 1 February. 

How comforting is it to know that someone you don't know, on the other side of the world, wants to share your grief.

Lunchbox Theatre in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, is a professional organisation that uses theatre to stimulate the development of vulnerable children. At the same time, its performances promote awareness and attention to social and environmental issues. A wonderful mission that you can support by making a donation on the Lunchbox Theatre website.