Ein Bericht für eine Akademie

after Franz Kafka A parable on the social narrowness of human society

The great ape Rotpeter tells an academic audience about his integration into human society.

He can hardly remember his previous ape life. His new life begins after his capture in Africa during the ship crossing to Europe. On the ship, he is crammed into a cage that is too small and serves as the object of tasteless and crude jokes.

The humiliated creature tries to make the best of his predicament. Freedom cannot be regained, so he looks for a way out that will allow him to survive: The ape imitates human nature until finally - clad in a man's suit - he bears witness to his career.

The story is a parable about the social narrowness of human society, the strong desire for recognition and the power of exclusion. It raises fundamental questions such as the preservation of identity and the failure of integration through adaptation - the age-old dilemma.