The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu
Berlin premiere
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| 12 EUR, reduced 6 EUR |
| Please book your ticket in advance online or at the box office in thte Foyer. |
| Q&A with Panaibra Gabriel and Albert Ibokwe on November 7 & 8, 2024, 10 pm |
| English with German subtitles |
| Duration: 50 min |
| 16 years and older |
| English |
| Hall 1, Ground Floor |
| Belongs to: Transkontinentale |
** Trigger warning: Please note that The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu contains nudity, interactions with the audience and physical contact with Albert Ibokwe Khoza as well as amplified sound and shouting. When entering the room, the audience is asked to have their hands loosely tied together.
The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu examines the violent and shameful history of the “human zoos” that took place in many European cities between 1870 and 1960, in which Black and Brown people were displayed as exotic animals. In this powerful, interactive solo performance, non-binary South African artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza investigates the impact of the imperial and colonial gaze on black bodies, both past and present. The work bears witness to the ongoing pain caused by historical and persistent racism. Black Circus uses theatre as a weapon and a balm while also engaging in collective healing of the soul and the reclamation of dignity through the power of confrontational art.
“We honor the spirit of Sarah Baartman, and we honor the many Africans whose lives and bodies have been turned into a spectacle for the pleasure of white racists. We pay homage to our ancestors who gave up everything for the good of the world as a whole,” says Albert Ibokwe Khoza about their inspiration for the performance, premiering in Germany after guest performances in Amsterdam, Maputo, New York and many more.
Trailer
Albert Ibokwe Khoza
The South African natural performance artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza continually reveals and projects the state of mind of a loner individual who is a non-binary womanly man, as well as being a sangoma (traditional healer). Through sexuality and ancestral practice, they express their thoughts moving between different artistic mediums to outline social ills, and what their divergent nature sees and interprets about the world in which we live in. They critically question their surroundings, their leaders and life itself. Khoza won, in 2023, the Bessie Award for the performance in And So You See … Our Honorable Blue Sky and Ever Enduring Sun … Can Only Be Consumed Slice by Slice … (Directors: Fabien Plasson, Choreography: Robyn Orlin)
Participants
Direction
Albert Ibokwe Khoza and Princess Zinzi Mhlongo
Text/ Performance
Albert Ibokwe Khoza
Stage Management
Miranda Vuyo Mgodla
Videos
Sandile Madi
Production
African Entertainers