«Jungle Nama» Theatre Performance
Jungle Nama in the Future Library Forest
As part of the 2026 Future Library Handover celebrations, Nordic Black Xpress presented a powerful adaptation of Amitav Ghosh's Jungle Nama in the Future Library Forest in Nordmarka, Oslo.
The performance took place on the evening of 27 June 2026 creating a profound connection between Ghosh's literary world and the living forest that will safeguard the Future Library manuscripts for a century.
Amitav Ghosh had expressed a wish to bring the forest of Jungle Nama into dialogue with the Future Library Forest. The performance fulfilled that vision, allowing the forest itself to become both stage and storyteller. Surrounded by the thousand trees planted for readers of 2114, audiences experienced a work deeply rooted in the relationship between humans, nature and the stories that bind them together across generations.
Jungle Nama is Ghosh's first book written entirely in verse. It is a contemporary adaptation of the ancient legend of Bon Bibi, the benevolent guardian of the Sundarbans—the vast mangrove forest spanning India and Bangladesh. The story follows the poor boyDukhey, the greedy merchant Dhona, the tiger spirit Dokkhin Rai, and Bon Bibi herself, who protects those who enter the forest with humility and respect. Drawing on a centuries-old Bengali oral tradition, Ghosh retells this enduring folktale in rhythmic verse, celebrating the fragile balance between humanity and the natural world while exploring themes of justice, compassion, coexistence and ecological responsibility.
Presented as a co-production between Future Library and Nordic Black Theatre, and performed by Nordic Black Xpress, the production echoed many of the values at the heart of Future Library: respect for nature, storytelling across generations, and the belief that forests are not only ecosystems but also places of memory, imagination and hope.
The performance formed a memorable opening to the 2026 Handover weekend, bringing together literature, theatre, music and the forest in a unique artistic experience. It also served as a fitting prelude to Amitav Ghosh's contribution to Future Library, reaffirming his longstanding commitment to environmental storytelling and to the enduring relationship between people, forests and the futures they imagine together.
Directed by
Cliff A. Moustache
Assistant Director
Faheel Saud
Scenography
Jad El Khoury
Live Music
Javid Afsari Rad, Santur
Adrian Fiskum Myhr, Double Bass
EnsembleKorab Rama, Elvira Gomez Snerte, Sigurd Gomes-Linnerud, Mohamed Akramkhan Nasir, Janneh Khaye v. Bruvik, Matias Ignacio Alegria, Ali Ilyas, Marlon Valdés Langeland, Even Tamiru Håseth Julsrud, Elias Lalouchi og Hijra Islow. Foto av NBX: Farhad Soufi
All photos: Marco Traverso/Future Library