Tafukt

Please note: this show has been cancelled to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus. 

Racism, colonialism, antisemitism and nationalism: in the 19^th century, all these ‘isms’ contributed to shaping society. Every kind of indigenous or popular knowledge that did not correspond to the prevailing ‘civilized’ frameworks was systematically destroyed. These erased narratives continue to influence the way we relate to the world today.

Tafukt/The Sun/Athena is a dance solo and the first part of a trilogy focused on epistemologies and mythologies of the Tamazigh – the indigenous population of Northern Africa. The performance centres on three female goddesses that unite culture and history: Neith, Tanit and Athena. Lake Tritonis in Libya is said to be the birthplace of Athena, before the Greeks adopted her on the other side of the Mediterranean. An exploration of these epistemologies brings history’s blind spots to light. How can we challenge the current canon? Can performance function as a tool of resistance? In Tafukt, Radouan Mriziga seeks to create a space for reflections on the past in order to strive for a more inclusive future.

• Choreographer and dancer Radouan Mriziga was trained in Marrakech and Tunisia before moving to Brussels to continue his training at PARTS. Since 2014, he has been supported by the Nomadic Arts Centre Moussem. He is currently an artist-in-residence at Kaaitheater.