Shows

AMAQHAWE (SOUTH AFRICA)

Mzokuthula Gasa / Sibonelo Dance Project

Dance performance about memories, resistance and hope.

Amaqhawe is a dance performance by choreographer Mzo Gasa with dancers from Cape Town’s Sibonello Dance Project about memories, resistance and hope. Amaqhawe means ‘heroes’ in isiZulu and is about the resilience and persistence of South African youth to realize their dreams. It’s a provocative performance about the struggle of young people speaking up about their future, affordable education and an equal society. It raises the question: how far are we willing to fight for what we stand for? Amaqhawe is a call for solidarity and persistence.

Follow this link for a review.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Thu 3 Oct 19.30 première  € 22,50 (with discount € 20,-) TICKETS
(part of opening program)

Amsterdam | Bijlmer Parktheater
Sat 5 Oct 20:00 ((part of opening program) € 16,- (including a drink) TICKETS

The Hague | Het Nationale Theater
Sun 6 Oct 20.15 € 18,- (day ticket € 21,- incl. Stamboom monologen) TICKETS

Utrecht | Stadsschouwburg
Fri 11 Oct 20.00 € 19,- (with discount € 10,- and € 14,-) TICKETS

Rotterdam | Maaspodium
Sat 12 Oct 20.30 uur € 14,- (with discount € 11,-)  TICKETS

[CHOREOGRAPHY & DANCE] Mzokuthula Gasa [PRODUCTION] Sibonelo Dance Project [DURATION] 60 minutes

AWANAISA (NETHERLANDS)

Awanaisa is a tribute to women. Jomecia takes us on a journey through empowerment, manifestations and awareness through dance. Her work brings forth a relatable message for all. She is currently following a program at the Bijlmer Parktheater where she is working on a theater piece. She shared the stage with some of the biggest names in music and toured with the likes of Armin van Buuren, Lionell Richie, Diana Ross and Eva Simons. She has also worked on campaigns for Nike and Reebok and danced in shows such as X-Factor, Idols and The Voice.

Amsterdam | Bijlmerparktheater
Sat 5 Oct 20.00  € 16,- incl. a drink TICKETS
(part of evening program)

[Choreography] Jomecia Oosterwolde - ODEJ Dance Company  [DURATION] 15 minutes

BONGEZIWE MABANDLA (SOUTH AFRICA)

Face of the Afro-folk   

Bongeziwe is an Afro-Folk singer and guitar player from South Africa with over 111.000 monthly streams from all over the world on Spotify. His debut album Umlilo (2012) instantly made him the new face of Afro-Folk. His unique sound embodies Xhosa lyrics with traditional music and folk. He toured all over the world and performed at festivals such as Cape Town World Music Festival, Oppikoppi, Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona the Japanese Sukiyaki Meets the World Festival. His second album Mangaliso (miracle) won him a South African Music Award (SAMA). His third album entitled Zange (never before) is set to release the end of 2019. His Afro_Vibes performance will kick off his European tour.

Rotterdam| Kunsthal
Sun 6 Oct Teaser  12.00 - 16.00 € 14,- (with discount € 7,-) TICKETS
(part of afternoon program)

The Hague| Paard
Fri 11 Oct 19:30  € 17,50 (with discount € 15,-) TICKETS
(Double Bill with Symphony of Now)

Utrecht| TivoliVredenburg
Sat 12 Oct 20:00 € 17,20 (with discount € 15,-) TICKETS
(Double Bill with Symphony of Now)

Amsterdam| Bimhuis
Sun 13 Oct 19:30 € 19.-  (with discount € 16,-) TICKETS
(Double Bill with Elegy)

BOOM ZONDER WORTELS (NETHERLANDS)

Henry O’Tawiah

Tree without Roots is a dance performance and the personal exploration of Henry O’Tawiah to his own roots and heritage. A quest for his own truth, his story and inner strength. Not knowing where you’re from but knowing where you’re going. How do you cope with the facts about your own roots when it is not what you were told all these years? Henry is an experienced dancer and choreographer (hiphop, locking, popping, experimental) who prepared this solo during the Operaestate Festival Veneto in Italy and. Tree without Roots is a co-production between Afro_Vibes and Backbone.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Fri 4 Oct 21.30 € 16,- (with discount € 13,50)  TICKETS
(Double bill with Symphony of Now)

Rotterdam | Maaspodium
Sat 12 Oct 19.30 € 10,- (with discount € 8.-) TICKETS

[CHOREOGRAPHY & DANCE] Henry O’tawiah [PRODUCTION] Backbone and Afro_Vibes [DURATION] 45 minutes

CARRÉ NOIR (CONGO KINSHASA)

Elisabeth Bakambamba Tambwe & Eric Abrogoua

Facts and fiction blurs. what are we actually seeing?

The Black Square of Kazimir Malevich is neither a square nor is it black. The sides are not parallel and the painting isn't monochrome at all, but a field of fractures, lines, and fragments of different colors. What is visible or not, not only in this case, mainly depends on the eye, the perception and the expectations of the spectator. Half performance, half exhibition, Carré Noir plays hide-and-seek with the view and with the inability to actually look by constantly blurring the lines of what is visible and what isn't. The show deals with the question of the body as a place of resistance. This body reveals itself as a space of the possibilities, of metamorphosis, of transformation. A body that is going against preconceived ideas. A body playing with identification systems and with the aesthetic, social and political codes being projected on it. So, most of the time it's hard to really see what you look at. But please, don't give up.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Thu 3 Oct 19.30 € 22,50 (with discount € 20,-)  TICKETS
Teaser - (Part of opening program)

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Fri 4 Oct 20.30  € 14,- (with discount € 11,50) TICKETS

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Sat 5 Oct 20.30  € 14,- (with discount € 11,50) TICKETS

[CHOREOGRAPHY] Elizabeth Bakambamba Tambwe [PRODUCTION] Carré Noir is a production of DIG UP PRODUCTIONS, coproduced by brut Wien in cooperation with Afro_Vibes Performing Arts Festival Amsterdam. With the Support of ImPulsTanz - Vienna International Dance Festival. Supported by Wien Kultur. [DURATION] 60 minutes

ELEGY (SOUTH AFRICA)

Gabrielle Goliath

Powerful ritual for victims of sexual violence.

Elegy speaks of violence against women and the LGBTI community and the uncomfortable reality of the culture of rape and sexual violence in South Africa and around the world. Also in the Netherlands there is sexual violence against vulnerable groups. Gabrielle Goliath’s ‘Elegy’ is a powerful commemoration for victims of sexual violence in which different female performers hold a single, clear, high note. Goliath doesn’t show the violence but emphasizes the individuality of each victim. In South Africa she recently won the Future Generation Special Prize and the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for her work.

For more background information: CLICK HERE

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Sat 5 Oct 20.30 € 14,- (with discount € 11,50) TICKETS

Rotterdam | Kunsthal
Sun 6 Oct 12:00 – 16:00  € 14,- (with discount € 7,-) TICKETS
(part of afternoon program)

Amsterdam | De Balie
Thu 10 Oct 20.00 € 15,- (with discount € 12,50) TICKETS

Amsterdam | Bimhuis
Sun 13 Oct 19.30 € 19,- (with discount € 16,-) TICKETS
(Double bill with music of Bongeziwe Mabandla)

[DIRECTION Gabrielle Goliath  [DURATION] 60 minutes

iAFRICA FILM FESTIVAL

iAfrica Film Festival (iAFF) brings African Cinema to Afro_Vibes. The festival showcases a quality selection of socially relevant movies from and about Africa and the African diaspora. iAFF is an initiative of the Yangambi foundation who had their first festival in 2016 in The Hague. iAfro en Afro_Vibes have joined forces for the third time to bring you theatre, dance and music in collaboration with The National Theater (Spui) and Filmhuis Den Haag. Program and tickets on film.iafricafestival.com

Filmhuis Den Haag
Sat 5 Oct & Sun 6 Oct
Look for the program and tickets on:  film.iafricafestival.com

KUNSTHAL TAKE-OVER

Sunday October 6, Afrovibes takes over the auditorium of the Kunsthal for a day with dance, music and installations with work by, among others, Elizabeth Tambwe (Congo Kinshasa), Bongeziwe Mabandla (South-Africa), Dox (Netherlands) and Batalo East (Uganda). Be surprised and inspired by performances and interventions and meet & greets by and with African and Dutch makers! After the show, the makers and the artists will talk to the public about the theme of Speak Truth to Power and how this has taken shape in their performances and work. This programme is free upon presentation of a valid Kunsthal admission ticket.

Rotterdam | Kunsthal
Sun 6 Oct 12:00 - 16:00  € 14,- (with discount € 7,-) TICKETS

MEET THE ARTISTS

Thania Petersen, Ingrid Masondo en Margriet van der Waal

A conversation with Thania Petersen, Ingrid Masondo and Margriet van der Waal about contemporary art in South Africa and one of the central themes that characterizes this vast body of work: cultural formations and the search for identity. To what extent and with what affect do contemporary artists use tradition and cultural legacies in their work and in the forms they choose? How too does the viewer understand the form and ideas behind a work of art? Does one need then a knowledge of historical and cultural context to fully grasp the artwork?

Thania Petersen is an outspoken artist who incorporates her Cape Malay origins and Muslim background in her photography and visual arts.

Ingrid Masondo is the curator of photography and new media at the Iziko South African National Gallery. She is interested in institutional practices and how these impact the body, especially its identification, habits (and vision, in particular), its identifications, memories and histories.

Margriet van der Waal is professor by special appointment of African culture, history and literature at the University of Amsterdam. Among other things, she will address the importance of the African-language identity among young generations in South Africa.

Amsterdam | Zuid Afrika Huis
Thu 8 Oct 19:30 Information

O MONSTRO ESTÁ EM CENA (ANGOLA)

Ana Clara Guerra Marques and Nuno Guimarães

Dance performance about freedom of expression, movement and inclusiveness.

A critical dance performance by six dancers from Angola about egoism, prejudice, xenophobia, inequality and oppression that are threatening the freedom of expression and movement. Worries about territorial threats and the worldwide urge for isolation from others, that is what O Monstro está em cena [The Monster is on Stage] is all about. Angolan Contemporary Dance Company (CDC Angola) was founded in 1991 and their productions have always been at the forefront of creative freedom and inclusivity. The performance at Afro_Vibes will be the kick off of their European tour.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Sat 5 Oct 21.30  € 16 / (with discount) € 13,50 TICKETS

[Choreography and dance]: Ana Clara Guerra Marques en Nuno Guimarães [Duration] 60 minutes

SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER EXHIBITION

Exposition about the theme Speak Truth to Power
Curator: Ingrid Masondo & Cathal McKee

Ingrid Masondo is a curator at IZIKO South African National Gallery in Cape Town. She focuses on the invisible histories, stories that were never told and the recording in images. From the IZIKO network she selects African artists who ask questions about identity, ethnicity, gender and identification and who dissect existing images about history.

Cathal McKee presents graphic work and illustrations by young contemporary artists from Africa and the Afro-Dutch diaspora. He reflects on beauty hidden in truth. "The instagram version of the truth that media and influencers post and share often dominates our view of the world. Do we find the truth important or do we scroll past it? Many artists and designers want to share their truth, tell or re-imagine incorrect stories from the past".

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
3 - 5 October Free TICKETS

Rotterdam | Kunsthal
6 - 13 October € 14,- (with discount € 7,-) TICKETS

Amsterdam | De Balie
3 - 30 October Free TICKETS

Featuring Artist: Thania Peterson

Thania Petersen is part of the Speak Truth to Power exhibition with material from her series I am Royal. In which she imagines with costumes and set pieces the locations in South Africa of slavery and forced relocations. A new perspective on the colonial history of South Africa, the Netherlands and Indonesia and the role of Islam in this. Thania Petersen is Artist in Residence at the Thami Mnyele Foundation in October.

Amsterdam | No man's Art Gallery
3 October - 30 November Free TICKETS

SYMPHONY OF NOW (UGANDA/NETHERLANDS)

Batalo East & DOX CLUB

A search for the liberties and addiction of the beat.

Symphony of Now is a dance performance about the Dutch and Ugandan technomusic scene and the power of techno. Where the dancefloor becomes the place where people experience unity and express themselves. The monotonous beats of techno sends the crowd and dancers in a hypnotic state of trance. The choreographers show the transcendent powers that dancing to techno releases and make the connection between dance and spiritual experiences.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Fri 4 Oct 21.30 € 16,- (with discount € 13,50) TICKETS
(Double Bill with Boom zonder Wortels)

Rotterdam | Kunsthal
Sun 6 Oct 12.00 - 16.00 € 14,- (with discount € 7,-) TICKETS
(part of afternoon program)

The Hague | Paard
Fri 11 Oct 19.30 € 17,50 (with discount € 15,-) TICKETS
(Double Bill with music of Bogeziwe Mabandla)

Utrecht| TivoliVredenburg
Sat 12 Oct 20.00  € 17,20 (with discount € 15,-) TICKETS
(Double Bill with music of Bogeziwe Mabandla)

Rotterdam| Maaspodium
Sun 13 Oct 17.30  € 10,- (with discount € 8,-) TICKETS

[Choreography and dance]: Abdul Kinyenya, Lilian Nabaggala Maxmillian, Faizal Ddamba (Batalo East, Oeganda), Melvin Fraenk, Çağdas Gülum, Anne Suurendonk, Tom van Wee and dancers of DOX CLUB [Duration] 30 minutes

UNRAVEL (SOUTH AFRICA)

A spiritual place under threat.

Islam in South Africa was a spiritual place that offered security to people oppressed by slavery and apartheid. In her performance Unravel, Thania Petersen as a South African Muslim uses Islamic tapestries to express the threat to this spiritual place. A threat from physical violence and from Wahabism, a conservative ideology that is not endorsed by Muslims in South Africa. Thania Petersen challenges contemporary prejudices about her faith. Thania Petersen is artists in residence bij de Thami Mnyele Foundation.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Do 3 Oct 19.30  € 22,50 (with discount € 20,-) TICKETS
Teaser - (part of opening program)

Amsterdam| Compagnietheater
Fri 4 Oct 20.30 uur  € 10.- TICKETS

Performer: Thania Petersen |Zuid-Afrika |30 min

VENUS VERSUS MODERNITY (SOUTH AFRICA)

Pamela Nomvete & Koleka Putuma

Afro_Vibes Festival in partnership with The Market Theater's Windybrow Arts Center

A historical story upside down.

Slavery, colonialism, patriarchy, feminism, sexuality and the exploitation and exotification of the Black female body - these are issues that are more pertinent now, with the exposure of the long-standing war on women’s bodies at its peak.

Lebo Mashile researches the framing and politics of the female body in relation to the impressive and painful story of Sarah Baartman who was part of a freak show in 19th century Europe and was displayed in colonial human zoos. In this black comedy Mashile gives Baartman a voice through poetry and opera. It dissects the effects of white supremacy and patriarchal systems regarding the Black female body. Strengthened by the play and powerful voice of Ann Masina who embodies the goddess Venus with her physical presence and a full choir with her powerful voice.

Lebo Mashila is one of the brave women who unequivocally expresses her opinion in the South African art scene, such as about Black Awareness. Venus versus Modernity was first conceived and performed at The Center for The Less Good Idea in Johannesburg under direction of South African artist William Kentridge. Ann Masina performed earlier this year in two South African productions during the Holland Festival.

Interview Lebo Mashile

"The story of Saartjie Baartman resonates so deeply because the forces that she was up against are the same forces that we as black women continue to be up against 200 years later … showing that Saartjie is the archangel for Black women’s representation in the modern world”.  Read the entire interview

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater (Teaser)
Thu 3 Oct 19.30 (teaser, part of opening program) € 22,50 (with discount € 20,-) TICKETS

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Fri 4 Oct 19.00 € 16,- (with discount € 13,50) TICKETS

The Hague |Het Nationale Theater
Sat 5 Oct 20.00 € 21,50 (with discount € 18,- and 20,- ) TICKETS

Amsterdam | De Balie
Wed 9 Oct 20.00 € 15,- (with discount € 12,50) TICKETS

Amsterdam | Pleintheater
Sat 12 Oct 20.30 € 13,- (with discount € 11,-) TICKETS

Rotterdam | Maaspodium
Sun 13 Oct 15.30  € 14,- (with discount € 11,-) TICKETS

[DIRECTION] Pamela Nomvete, Koleka Putuma [PLAY] Lebogang Mashile & Ann Masina   [DURATION] 60 minutes

WHAT IS ARTIVISM? #1

Dancing on the Edge, Afro_Vibes and Podium Mozaïek

Afro_Vibes, Dancing on the Edge and Podium Mozaïek present an evening programme in which Dutch and international artists and activists show work and discuss Artivism. In the simplest explanation, artivism connects 'art' with 'activism'. Artivism projects are characterized by new forms of political intervention, they have a rebellious, disobedient character and often take place outside the usual art platforms and in public spaces. Afro_Vibes artists Qudus Onikeku, Gabrielle Goliath, Mzo Gasa and Thania Petersen will show their work and share their experiences and expertise in a panel discussion.

Amsterdam | Podium Mozaïek
Wed 9 Oct 19:30 - 23.00  TICKETS

YUROPA (NIGERIA)

Qudus Onikeku

What is a journey in times of humanitarian crises?

Yuropa is a dance performance about migration. Nigerian choreographer Qudus Onikeku shows the bizarre and realistic journey of three young Nigerians to Europe that leads to a violent incident. The travelers expose an uncomfortable reality that confronts us with our prejudices surrounding migration. What does it mean to travel in a time of humanitary crisis? Onikeku explores how we can understand each other’s truths better through sharing stories, music, rituals and fantasy. Yuropa refers to ‘Europe’ and ‘Yoruba’, an ethnic group and culture from West Africa.

Amsterdam | Compagnietheater
Sat 5 Oct 19.00 € 16,- (with discount € 13,50) TICKETS

Amsterdam | Podium Mozaïek
Fr 11 Oct 20.30 € 15,50 (with discount € 10,50 and € 13,50)  TICKETS

Rotterdam | Maaspodium
Sun 13 Oct 14.00  € 14,- (with discount € 11,-) TICKETS

[CHOREOGRAPHY] Qudus Onikeku [DURATION] 60 minutes