Dambudzo

Dambudzo is a live anti-genre work by nora chipaumire, a combination of sound, painting, sculpture, and performance. Through this work, she is researching the dissonance between knowledge and language, in particular with those who – like herself – are the product of colonial education. 

nora chipaumire explores the revolutionary potential of performance. She creates an immersive and sonic installation that takes the form of a Zimbabwean shabini: an informal bar in a private house where citizens come together to explore the possibilities of resistance and rebellion against political powers. Large-scale plastic paintings are given a prominent place in this room. They create a malleable wall through which sound, light, and even bodies can penetrate and influence the movements of players and the audience: evading, running, throwing away. Daily, important actions in response to Rhodesian Ridgebacks (a breed bred to hunt and pacify African people) and Rhodesian terrorists. 

nora chipaumire is inspired by the meaning of the word dambudzo – or ‘trouble’ in Shona – which also evokes the ideas of radical African thinkers such as Dambudzo Marechera. Through physical expression, the artist explores a language that goes beyond words and tries to transcend the limits imposed by language. 

• nora chipaumire was born in 1965 in what was then called Umtali, Rhodesia (now Mutare, Zimbabwe). She is a product of colonial education for black native Africans – known as group B education – and has been invested in acquiring and sharing knowledge outside the prescribed parameters.