Afrovibes Festival: Shared ground

How do people interact when occupying shared land? And what can we learn from the humming bird as a symbol of resilience in the face of ecological and social change? At Afrovibes, contemporary performing art forms from Africa aim to address questions like these.

The theme of this 23rd edition of Afrovibes is Soil/Soul. These two words bring earth and spirit together, referring to the way that land, identity, spirituality and memory are intertwined. According to artistic director Jay Pather, this begins by taking a different look at soil. ‘The idea that you can ‘own’ land or continually exploit it, is diametrically opposed to African philosophy and many other global native philosophies. Soil is not just a resource, but an intrinsic part of who we are.’ Land is a place where memories and ancestors are united, Jay continues. ‘The concept of soil as a place for our ancestors, is something that interests more and more artists.’

Playing field

When compiling a festival programme, Jay does not begin by thinking up a theme. He studies the work of artists from various parts of Africa, looking for a common thread. ‘I suppose you could say that the work vets itself. I just try to listen to what artists are telling us. Such as the genocide in Congo, in Sudan and other parts of the world, where land is again being severely damaged by outside forces.’

One of the artists focusing on this theme is choreographer Fatou Cissé. In her show, entitled Performance D, she explores how people interact with each other when sharing common, and sometimes contested, land. Fatou: ‘Public space is a playing field that shines a spotlight on relationships between individuals. We share the same space, but we have different ways of occupying it. Performance D is an observation of how bodies approach each other, confront each other, attract or reject each other when they enter the same territory.’

Collective memory

The other Afrovibes performance being staged in Theater Kikker is by choreographer and dancer Abdoulaye Trésor Konaté. In his solo performance Humming-Bird/Colibri, the humming bird serves as a subject for studying resilience, responsibility and change. Abdoulaye: ‘In the legend, the humming bird tries to put out a wildfire with single drops of water. The bird becomes a symbol of engagement. The legend is a reminder of the significance of every movement, every creation and every moment of knowledge transfer. The performance combines traditional art forms, rituals and contemporary dance. It ask questions about what we inherit, what we want to keep and what we want to change. And about the way our stories become part of a much larger collective memory.’