The Afrovibes Festival is a multidisciplinary festival that brings the best of innovative and experimental theatre, dance and visual arts from South Africa to international stages. An initiative of the late young South African artist Vuyo Raymond Matinyana (1969-2001), Afrovibes has developed into a biennial event currently under the artistic direction of South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma.
About the Festival
Premiering at the Park Theatre in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on the 22nd of September the festival will continue for a further week to MC Theatre and Bijlmer Parktheater in Amsterdam.
Produced by UK Arts International, Afrovibes will then tour throughout the UK for three weeks opening on the 5th of October at The Albany in London. The festival will move to The Drum in Birmingham for a week commencing 12th October and will finish off for a week at Contact in Manchester week commencing on 19th October.
No Borders
We are proud to present Afrovibes in The Netherlands for the eighth time this year. Artistic Director Gregory Maqoma, together with a team of English and Dutch programmers have managed to bring together an exciting programme of work featuring both well-known names such as Paul Grootboom as well as new and upcoming talent.
Under the theme of NO BORDERS Afrovibes challenges and confronts the public with visible and invisible borders; the boundaries of age, sexuality, geographics, generations, cultures, self-awareness, flexibility and much more. Afrovibes gives you the best of South African theatre and dance and lets you think and debate as well as relax and enjoy.
Besides the performances, there are all sorts of extra activities to be involved in, including interviews, workshops, documentaries, an exhibition and an original South African Township Café with South African inspired cuisine. At the heart of the festival, the Township Café is where you can meet, talk and drink with the directors, actors and dancers. Let yourself be swept away into a flow of images and experiences while enjoying a drink and a South African meal.
The Afrovibes Festival has grown substantially over the years. What started out as a one day event in Amsterdam in 1999 has now become a five week tour of five major cities spanning across the UK and The Netherlands.
Afrovibes 2010 presents:
- Mpumelelo Paul Grootboom, South Africa’s well-known and most provocative director.
- Gregory Maqoma, South Africa´s leading young choreographer.
- Asanda Phewa, South Africa´s best young theatremaker in 2008.
- Peter Hayes & Pam Ngwabeni, from the Hearts and Eyes Collective in Cape Town.
- Via Volcano, Mapantsula champions in South Africa 2010, together with the UK hiphop artist and multitalent Benji Reid.
- Jitsvinger, troubadour-poet-spoken word artist from Cape Town (in the Amsterdam program only).
- Het Zuidelijk Toneel and Poetry Circle Nowhere (in The Netherlands program only).
Fringe program and Township Café
During the festival in all five cities there is an interesting fringe program with additional activities. Interviews, workshops, documentaries, an exhibition and an original South African Township Café (free admission) with (South) African food and drinks.
Every evening in the Township Café or the studio there are post show talks with the artists, choreographers and directors. In each city there is a selection of workshops, debates, panel discussions, spoken word artists ad live music. The Township Café is the vibrant heart of the festival and the key setting for the fringe programme. Here you can chat with friends, sample authentic cuisine, drink, dance and really get the chance to sample a true and vibrant South African atmosphere.
Partners
The Afrovibes festival is a co-production of Afrovibes and MC Theaterproductiehuis (Amsterdam), Parktheater ( Eindhoven), UK Arts International and The Albany (London), The Drum (Birmingham) and Contact Theatre (Manchester).
In South Africa, Afrovibes is representated by Vuyani Dance Theatre Company in Johannesburg. In the United Kingdom the Afrovibes Festival 2010 is produced by UK Arts International.
Other partners in The Nederlands are: ZAM Africa Magazine, Africaserver, Africa in the Picture, Thami Mnyele Stichting, and the following theatres: Parktheater (Eindhoven) and MC Theater en Bijlmerparktheater (Amsterdam).
Other partners in the UK are: Arts Council England, British Council, The Voice, ADAD and the UK theatres: The Albany (Deptford/London), The Drum (Birmingham) and The Contact Theatre (Manchester)
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