‘Africanize’ Ukudansa Offers: A facilitator’s P.O.V

One of the best of many things about any workshop will always be the participants, and their willingness to engage with concepts in varied mediums. Ukudansa served many memorable moments and defined dance as a medium to effectively engage with an African collection. With this in mind, I believe Africanize continues to prove itself as a collaborative project; one requiring the needs of new ideas and perspectives. And this time it was all enabled through movement – Ukudansa was facilitated through dance. 

The workshop was designed to recognise the individual in a group dance performance, and Africanize being what it is; a process of academia and art and history. It was a pleasure seeing so many people coming to the same space to be present in an idea to address the future. 

I was so proud of all the individuals who questioned the very space that we resided within. They explained and questioned, articulating their contributions physically. There was an electric brilliance in the room, one of which I’m sure cannot be doubted by those who were involved. The questions that were considered by the participants prove the need for further intersection between movement and other discourses around African collections. 

The dancers spoke so freely, articulating the very reasons they resonated with the collection. And some of which I took from this session, I share with you below: 

Ukudansa Offers: 

  • Within our cultures, grief is acknowledged differently – but this should  not mean we shy away from how other people process grief too. 
  • There really is a beauty in the things we all do passionately
  • Sometimes you are only nervous until you invited onto the stage 

Three songs listened to whilst writing this: 

  • Mafikizolo – Loot 
  • Black Coffee – Deep In The Bottom of Africa 
  • Sun-El Musician – Emoyeni 
Written by Sipho Eric Ndlovu
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