Southern African Artists meet at 18th ed of Afrovibes Festival at De Balie

For three days, artists from Uganda, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and the Netherlands will meet on stage at De Balie for the 18th edition of Afrovibes festival. With dance, spoken word, conversations and music.

Oct 7 | 6.30 pm CEST | Subcultures becoming mainstream with choreographer Abdul Kinyenya, choreographer Nita Liem, spoken word artist Iva Words and host Stephanie Afrifa

From Afro cosmic to poetry slam, host Stephanie Afrifa explores the relationship between (Black) subcultures and the mainstream with choreographer, social entrepreneur and dancer Abdul Kinyenya, and choreographer and director Nita Liem. When does a subculture become mainstream and what does it change? Is the appropriation of subcultures by mainstream media, big music channels and celebrities a good or a bad thing?

With spoken word by Ivan Words.

Oct 8 | 6.30 pm CEST | How we made it: African artists center stage with artist Jelili Atiku, writer Babah Tarawally, performer Trixie Munyama and spoken word artist Lisetteh Ma Neza and hosts Ikenna Azuike and Ms. Aba

This night, led by opinionistas and co-hosts Ikenna Azuike and Ms. Aba, will explore the themes that inspire Africa’s new brand of creatives. What do African identities mean to tradition and modern trends, to reality and fantasy, to the African continent and Europe? What moves these African performing artists? How do they present their worlds?

With spoken word by Lisette Ma Neza.

Oct 9 | 6.30 pm CEST | Afrofuturism: Shifting spaces, tilting times with Jay Pather, visual artist AiRich, choreographer Idio Chichava and singer Reinel Bakole

This discussion will delve into the world of Afrofuturism – a cultural movement of music, visual art and literature that explores the future of Black identity beyond the history of oppression. With choreographer Idio Chichava from Mozambique, Afro-Caribbean visual Artist AiRich, and the Belgian dancer and singer Reinel Bakole, moderator Maarten van Hinte speaks about how Afrofuturism shapes their artistic work.

With an introductory lecture by South-African choreographer and curator Jay Pather, artistic director of Afrovibes and director of the Institute for Creative Arts at University of Cape Town.

Music by Reinel Bakole.

View the conversations live on the ICA website here

About De Balie
De Balie is The Netherlands’ foremost venue for contemporary arts, politics and culture. They organise performances, debates, film and art projects for free spirits with different opinions and new ideas.

About Afrovibes
The Afrovibes Foundation organises a yearly festival in the Netherlands with theatre, dance, performance, fashion and music from and about Africa.

Contact the Institute for Creative Arts:
www.ica.uct.ac.za | ica@uct.ac.za | +27 21 650 7156