'Afrika! Afrika!' gives back to culture

Kenny Santana ,  Contributor ,  London   |  Sun, 05/25/2008 12:01 PM  |  Discover

London is a city of performances with a smorgasbord of musicals, plays and concerts to choose from every day. One unique show now on tour is Afrika! Afrika! - a circus show with a mission that opened early this year to rave reviews and thunderous applause.

The show donates 1 euro from each ticket sold towards supporting African cultures via the Art in Africa Foundation of the German Commission for UNESCO. This support intends to make a lasting contribution to the further development of the African cultural industry.

Afrika! Afrika! is worth every euro of the ticket price. Curated by Viennese Andre Heller, it has acrobats, music, dance and sports from across Africa.

But don't expect a narrative in Afrika! Afrika! Instead, it offers variety from one act to the next. Angolan Makaya Dimbelolo is particularly exhilarating in the Spider Dance, moving so sinuously that he inspires awe - such as when he squeezes his entire body through the head of a tennis racket.

"Snake Girl" Nokulunga Buthelezi complements his act later in the show by living up to her nickname. The contortionist bends her legs up to her neck, and then places her arms behind her thighs in a yoga-meets-magic moment.

In another act, a group of acrobats from Gabon and Tanzania build a human pyramid - and gives the audience something else to cheer about when, one by one, the acrobats tumble from the top to land gracefully on both feet.

One of the show's favorites is Martinique strappado artist Jean-Claude Belmat, who uses ropes to create beautiful spins and on-air moves. The breathtaking dance he creates up on high is a wonderful work of art that goes one better as the house lights dim to points that shine down on him like starlight.

A great surprise - and delightthroughout the two hour-plus show is that the performance goes beyond the borders of the African continent. For instance, basketball gets a hip-hop dance makeover by young and energetic African-American performers on unicycles. French dancers also contribute to the show with a breakdance routine.

"Afrika! Afrika! is based on the idea that people all across from Africa get the chance to present their culture, their capability and their country. Doudou Di*ne, the United Nations representative, brought to mind that this project shouldn't forget people of African derivation, whose ancestors were forced to start living in another country and, more often than not, another continent," said Pamela von der Heide, the show's press relations manager.

"Today, artists from almost 20 African countries, from France and from the United States do all typify Afrika! Afrika!" she added.

In the name of Africa, this global show has generated more than 1.5 million euros in its first season, with the funds channeled to six projects in music, film, literature and the arts that were selected by UNESCO's Art in Africa Foundation and the Goethe Institut.

The funds are used from buying indigenous African-language books for a local library, to developing modern curricula for young African musicians, and to creating a short film contest on Africa for screening at next year's Berlin Film Festival.

It's amazing that these performers come together from around the world to stage the vibrant culture of a great continent for international audiences. Buteven more amazing is that the Afrika! Afrika! team's efforts go beyond the stage and beyond entertainment towards doing something more: giving back to their motherland.

In this age of reality shows and contests that are all about individual winnings, perhaps it's time we looked back to the founding concept of the stage: art for the community.

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