Inspired by the powerful Afrovibes performance I AM, this panel explores the legacies of queerness within African diasporic communities in the Netherlands.
For many people living between cultures, finding a sense of home and belonging can already be challenging. But for LGBTQ+ individuals, that search often comes with added layers of difficulty. Queer people of African descent may face racism within broader LGBTQ+ spaces, while also encountering rejection or silence in their own communities. As a result, they often find themselves moving between worlds — without ever feeling fully accepted in either.
In this conversation, Black queer makers from different generations share their experiences of navigating these overlapping spaces. What kinds of care and support are needed to live openly and safely? And what legacies of care, solidarity, and resilience can we build on today?
This programme is part of the performance I AM. Combitickets for both the programme and the performance afterwards can be purchased.
Over Afrovibes Festival
Afrovibes Festival brengt voorstellingen met dans, theater en muziek van actuele Afrikaanse dans- en theatermakers. Het zijn makers die vanuit een Afrikaans perspectief artistiek vorm geven aan actuele vragen en thema’s die ook bij ons leven en daar een eigenzinnige visie op hebben. Over wie we zijn, wat we willen zijn en hoe we met elkaar zijn verbonden. Afrovibes onderscheidt zich als een festival dat makers uit Afrika en de Afrikaanse diaspora in Nederland samenbrengt.
Speakers
In this powerful theater- en dance performance, Tandile Mbatsha (x) takes us back to their childhood. As children in rural South Africa, they had to search for their identity and how to belong. Tandile Mbatsha stages both the theme of legacy and belonging by involving their biological father and mother in the performance.
Who decides where cultural objects belong? And what happens when the stories behind them are erased or ignored?
The Cullinan, the largest diamond in the world was excavated in South Africa in 1905. Yet it was cut in Amsterdam and traded under pressure to the English royal family. Many South Africans want the Cullinan back. Actress Buhle Ngaba dreams of succeeding.
