A History of Grief
Volksbuhne Berlin- De Vleeshal Middelburg
Comments from the audience
The transformation from willing audience participant to criminal perpetrator enthroned on her back was simultaneously stunningly disturbing and illuminating. For each face held an unavoidable self-implication. The participant sat passively but somehow mysterious thoughts, guilt, evasion, indifference, denial seem to invade each silent face. It is impossible to sit on a kneeling woman without the conjuring of impervious domination.
Patrice Naiambana – African Performing Artist, Lead Animateur of Tribal Soul Arts CIC
For the performance A history of grief I am inspired by three Black female freedom fighters.
Namely Queen Nzinga (1583-1663), CARLOTA LukumÍ died in 1844 and Marie-Joseph Angélique (1700-1734)
I chose these stories cause they all have an element of mutulation and humiliating the black female body. While at the same time these powerful women fought for freedom and justice and their believes. Their stories are ignored within the white western curriculum.
The performance
15 members of the audience are seated on my back while I read the complete verdict Marie Joseph Angelique.
This scene is inspired by the story of Queen Nzinga using a servant as a chair, because the oppressor refused to offer her one. But it also symbolizes the heavy burden of ignored histories about the important roles black females played in the struggle for equality and liberation.
Behind the scene is a projection of the verdict on an image of a naked black woman who’s body This scene is inspired by the horrific story of the mutulation of Carlota. The repressive forces tied her to horses sent to run in opposite direction in order to destroy her body completely so that she would be unrecognizable forever.
During the readings there will be an African drummer on stage playing the talking drum