After a two-year absence, JOMBA! returns to the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, University of KwaZulu-Natal, KwaZulu-Natal for what is perhaps Africa’s largest and most renowned dance festival.
At JOMBAfirst !’s full live event since the Covid epidemic, artists and performers from Mozambique, Switzerland, Reunion Island, India, and, of course, South Africa will exhibit their works at the festival.
Dr. Llianna Loots, artistic director and curator, exclaims, “We are ecstatic and glad to finally be presenting our much-loved festival live and in person, while maintaining certain works and events online for those who are unable to come.”
“One of the things we’ve really missed with Covid is engaging with one another; meeting in the foyer, seeing individuals you haven’t seen in a while, chatting to other dancers, seeing people trade, artists connecting with one another, and simply a sense of community.
“And I hope that we can revitalize this creative dancing community spirit.”
Under the theme “the (im)possibility of home,” the 24th annual JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience delivers an unparalleled 13-day experience of world-class contemporary dance.
“This year, via the subject, we want to probe a series of dance offerings that negotiate legacy, culture, nostalgia, and identity, which explore a feeling of belonging and how it endures, alters, and develops through time – and what a moment (both local and global) for this exploration!”
Loots discussed some of the difficulties the dance and theater community faced in the last two years.
“Dance is not a type of art that can be stopped and then resumed. As a dancer, you are required to work every day. We have seen a great deal of devastation, if I may use that term; artists have vanished and dancers have found other employment because they have been unable to maintain their profession.
“It is sometimes pretty sad to realize that artists have had to make other decisions. There has been a tangible loss. I’m hoping that, with the help of the live music event, we can reignite that fire and continue to grow.”
Mamela Nyamza, Nelisiwe Xaba, and Edna Jaime, the South African and Mozambican masters of modern dance, will headline this year’s festival.
Edna Jaime. Photograph: John Hogg
Vincent Sekwati Mantsoe, a choreographer, performer, and dance instructor, will be honored as the 2022 JOMBA! Legacy Artist.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Mantsoe’s career as a dancer and choreographer, and we can think of no better way to honor this remarkable figure in South Africa’s dance history than to celebrate with him.
There will be a live performance of Mantsoe’s new solo piece “Koma,” the showing of his short dance film “CUT (part 1)” created during the lockdown and his two-year process (2021 and 2022) of working with Durban’s Flatfoot Dance Company, as well as the debut of “CUT (part 2)” during the festival.
Fana Tshabalala, the 2019 JOMBA! Mellon Artist-in-Residence, will show “Zann,” his most recent solo piece, which he started making during his residency.
The festival will debut three new works by Durban choreographers Sandile Mkhize, Tegan Peacock, and Pavishen Paideya.
Grants were awarded to the trio to encourage the development of new local works on the JOMBA! Edge platform.
Sandile Mkhize. Picture: Val Adamson
The festival will also include workshops, after-performance Q&As, panel discussions, virtual screen dance, and the return of the JOMBA! youth dance platform, which continues to assist the development of Durban’s young dance communities.
Visit the website for the festival’s complete schedule and other information.
JOMBA! 2022 begins on August 30 and concludes on September 11.
As the nation prepares to observe Heritage Day on September 24, we examine national theatrical shows that acknowledge and celebrate our different African traditions.
The individuals Gontse Ntshegang and Andre Lotter. Photograph of the Market Theatre
The Parrot Lady (The Market Theatre)
Charles Fourie, South Africa’s foremost contemporary writer and director, adapts “The Parrot Woman” to bring to life a seldom-told element of history: that many black South Africans were imprisoned in concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War of 1901.
In a game of ritualistic escape, she is sent to a concentration camp where she is kept hostage in a cage and guarded by a reluctant British soldier seeking the truth about the killings.
What is revealed in the moving conclusion sheds light on the devastating impacts of war and reveals that the two main characters find consolation in one other’s suffering and loss.
Date: Ongoing till September 26.
The authors are Chi Mhende and Paul Slabolepszy. Photograph of Meghan McCabe
Paul Slabolepszy’s Fordsburg’s Finest (Theatre On The Bay)
In “Fordsburg’s Finest,” portrayed by Paul Slabolepszy and Chi Mhende, two characters who have long walked on solid ground discover that they cannot take it for granted.
The drama focuses on a New York librarian who resolves to return to her South African origins in 1996. When she arrives to 74 Pioneer Street in Fordsburg with an out-of-date, faded street map in hand, she is disappointed to discover that the house is no longer there. In its place is a dilapidated used-car yard operated by a gregarious white South African of middle age who is also a former police reserve.
Currently in effect till September 10
Cast of ‘Hostel Lights’ Photograph of Imameleng Masitha.
The finest of the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival (Baxter)
This year, the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival’s Finest of the Fest were awarded to “Hostel Lights” and “Back to Ashes.”
The creative director of the Baxter Zabalaza Theatre Festival, Mdu Kweyama, said that they were chosen as the finest of the 13th annual festival held in April due to their potent topics and brilliance in script writing, acting, directing, and overall presentation.
“The subjects they explore are relatable to viewers and, in many cases, reflect the everyday lives of many South Africans. “‘Hostel Lights’ is about devotion and camaraderie, while ‘Back to Ashes’ is about the ever-present issue of gender-based violence,” added Kweyama.
September 3 through 17