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Ticket sales for Afrovibes 2018 have started! On Thursday, October 4, we open in the Compagnietheater with a spectacular program with dance performance With Nothing But Silence They Turned Their Bodies To Face The Noise (ZA) by PJ Sabbagha & Athena Mazarakis from South Africa, teasers of other performances that can be seen during the festival and The Kiffness!
See the full program and get tickets!
Festival theme LAND
The festival theme this year is LAND. The world is changing, The Netherlands are changing, we are changing. Who are we in relation to the world around us, to our history, to the land where we live? Land is part of our identity. When do you belong and when do you not belong to the country in which you live? Land is also a vulnerable good. How do we deal with the land?
We believe that some of the perspectives to these questions can be found in the artistic renewal that artists in Africa deliver in their work. In the insights they reveal, the questions they ask and their strong interaction with the public. The performances this year confront us with the fierce visions and perspectives of African and Dutch artists on LAND.
Afrovibes Festival 2018 is from 4 - 14 October in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. A number of the festival performances are also part of Black Achievement Month.
Met ingang van 15 februari 2019 is Hans Lebouille (42) de nieuwe zakelijk leider van Afrovibes, het jaarlijkse festival van hedendaags theater, dans en muziek uit Afrika.
Read more: Hans Lebouille nieuwe zakelijk leider van Afrovibes
Afrovibes presenteert tijdens het festival in een speciaal programma actuele vormgeving en mode van hedendaagse Afrikaanse ontwerpers en vormgevers. In 2018 was de tweede editie van dit programma. Met onder meer de mode performance Black Tie waarin de Zuid-Afrikaanse fashion performer Lesiba Mabitsela zijn kijk gaf op de exotisering van Afrikaanse mode en het zwarte mannenlichaam. De Theaterkrant schreef hierover: “Indringende mix van mode, rassenongelijkheid en mannenlichamen”. En de tentoonstelling Portraits of Land met grafisch werk, illustraties en animaties van jonge kunstenaars uit Afrika en Nederland. Waaronder animaties van William Kentridge, Steven Cohen en James Webb uit Zuid-Afrika.
Naar het Beeldverslag 2018 van de mode performance en de tentoonstelling
Music: The Kiffness & Bongeziwe Mabandla “Soloko” – courtesy of Universal Music South Africa. Download it here
Volunteers wanted!
Afrovibes is looking for enthusiastic volunteers. Do you want to be part of a great international festival. Do you want to make Afrovibes 2018 a success and have fun? Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., subject "Afrovibes Volunteer 2018'.
What can you do:
We need your help and expertise for tasks such as production assistant, runner, artist and audience host, driver, usher and ticket sales.
What’s in it for you:
You get a peek behind the scenes of this inspiring festival. You meet interesting artists and people from the international theatre and festival world. You get a cool Afrovibes T-shirt. You go to performances for free. Most importantly, you have lots of fun.
Where and when:
4 until 14 Oct 2018 in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht
This 15th edition of Afrovibes Festival is from 4 until 14 October and presents both young pioneers and established talent in theatre, dance, music, poetry and design from Africa in The Netherlands. Afrovibes shows the dynamic cultural life of Urban Africa with a programme by African and Dutch artists. The festival takes place in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag and Rotterdam and brings a diverse programme of performances, theatre, dance, debates and afterparties at a variety of locations.
LAND
The festival theme of this year is LAND. Land is often only seen as material. As the ground, the earth on which we live. But land is so much more, literally and metaphorically. People have an emotional and spiritual connection with the land they inhabit. Land is part of your identity. Migration, exploitation or protection of the country you live in are also current topics in Africa and in Europe. Contemporary African and Dutch artists show us what LAND means to them.
Dates and theatres/cities
Amsterdam 4 - 6 October Compagnietheater, 5 - 7 October Tolhuistuin, 7 October Bimhuis, 9 & 10 October De Balie and 12 October Bijlmer Parktheater.
The Hague 6 & 7 October Het Nationale Theater (Theater a/h Spui) and 8 October Institute for Social Studies.
Rotterdam 13 & 14 October Maaspodium and 14 October Kunsthal
Utrecht 13 October Stadsschouwburg Utrecht and 14 October TivoliVredenburg.
From 22 to 24 June and on 3 & 4 July, Black Heritage Tours, Afrovibes, Amsterdam Roots and Poetry Circle Nowhere present the theatrical boat trip Sites of Memory - Changing Portraits, a theatrical boat trip regarding the hidden stories of slavery and the colonial history of Amsterdam. Professional and amateur players worked together and took a fresh look into the history, with the primary focus on “Changing portraits”. Portraits of people from the 17th century, till present. Prominent figures, but also those people who remained invisible are being highlighted. The tour passes through various locations in the historic city center, where actors on board and from the docks, bring to life stories from ancient times through poetry, dance and music. More information and tickets via amsterdamroots.nl
Sites of Memory is a collaboration Amsterdam Roots, Afrovibes, Poetry Circle Nowhere and Black Heritage Tours and is a part of WeMakeThe.City.
