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.
In one scene, the father shaves Mbatsha’s head before they perform a slippery solo on an oil-soaked floor, while their mother reminds the father how their child grew up in an atmosphere of both homophobia and protection. This makes I AM a powerful statement against transphobia and homophobia in Africa, which are visible through current statements that queerness would be un-African.
Prior to this performance, there will be a contextual programme. A combination ticket for both the performance and programme is available.
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.
South-Africa / 2024 / 75 min
Inspired by the powerful Afrovibes performance I AM, this panel explores the legacies of queerness within African diasporic communities in the Netherlands.
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.
Who decides where cultural objects belong? And what happens when the stories behind them are erased or ignored?
