Dambudzo

About the Show

In this immersive anti-genre performance, “rock star of dance” (The New Yorker) nora chipaumire invites audiences into a world of sound, painting, sculpture, and performance.

On the FringeArts stage, chipaumire uses large-scale plastic paintings to construct a Zimbabwean shabini—an informal bar set up in private residences, where citizens gather to invoke the possibilities of resistance and insurrection.

Audiences freely explore this space populated by musicians, revolutionaries, tricksters, and sellouts, scored by a sonic backdrop of whirling Zimbabwean music and the threat of barking dogs.

Invoking the many meanings of dambudzo—the Shona word for trouble—and the radical ideas of African thinkers including Dambudzo Marechera, this thrumming, resonant work resists categorization, creating a space for an affecting confrontation of colonialism.

Creative Team

nora chipaumire
Concept/Creative Director

Performers
nora chipaumire
Tatenda Chabarwa
Joyce Delores Edwards
SoKo Jena
Fatima Katiji
Jonathan Kudakwashe Daniel
tyroneisaacstuart
kei soares cobb
Shamar Watt
Gilbert Zvamaida

Bhundu Boys
Music Recordings

Mieke Ulfig
Film Production

Vusumuzi Moyo
Sound Engineer

Kwamina Biney
Sound Engineer

Heidi Eckwall
Technical Director

Soren Kodak
Technical Director Assistant

Jay Beardsley
Tour/Company Manager

Amélie Gaulier
Company Management

ArKtype
Booking & Distribution

Thomas O. Kriegsmann
Booking & Distribution

Astrid Rostaing
Booking & Distribution

About the Artists

Performers

nora chipaumire was born in 1965 in what was then known as Umtali, Rhodesia (now Mutare, Zimbabwe). She is a product of colonial education for black native Africans — known as group B schooling — and is invested in knowledge acquisition and sharing outside of prescribed parameters.

Tatenda Chabarwa is a Zimbabwean performer, dancer, choreographer, and musician. He worked as a full-time performer with Tumbuka Dance Company (2015-2016) and is currently a freelancer. Active in the art scene, he collaborates with Dunia Dance Theatre, Company Chipaumire, and works on his solo projects. A graduate of The Dance Trust of Zimbabwe, Tatenda has presented his choreographic work at festivals like Windhoek International Dance Festival and the Pan-African Creative Exchange. In 2024, he was selected for DanceWeb in Vienna.

Joyce Delores Edwards stands as a beacon of transformative artistry, leaving an indelible mark in New York and across the USA. Honored with the 2023 Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer, Edwards has garnered acclaim for her roles in Ronald K. Brown’s “Grace,” “The Equality of Night and Day,” and “Open Door.” Her performances transcend mere expression, woven from a deep connection to her ancestral roots, which guides her innovative spirit and artistic insight. As her artistry evolves, Edwards solidifies her role as a pivotal and inspiring force, influencing both her contemporaries and future generations of dancers. Her work not only highlights her exceptional talent but also redefines the possibilities within the dance world, making her a crucial figure in the ongoing evolution of the art form.

Fatima Katiji is a Zimbabwean musician, songwriter, performer, percussionist, and dancer, best known as “Stimy Stimela,” a backing vocalist for Jah Prayzah and 3G The Band. She began her career in 2005 as the lead vocalist for Five Fold, led by Hudson Simbarashe, and has since become a prominent voice in Zimbabwe’s music scene, collaborating with artists like Diana Samkange and Alexio Kawara. Co-founder of StimyBee Arts Factory, Fatima trains children in performing arts and performs in NeHanda by nora chipaumire, touring festivals globally. Recently, she performed with Sages Comme Des Sauvages at Festival Africolor in Paris.ges, performing at Festival Africolor in Paris, and continues to tour and work on innovative global projects.

Jonathan Kudakwashe Daniel is a Zimbabwean artist whose journey in dance began at age 12 at St. Michael’s Primary School, where he learned traditional dances like Muchongoyo and Mhande. Shortly after, he joined Chiedza Child Care Center, touring nationally and internationally, and in 2014, he became part of Chipawo Arts Trust. In 2018, he joined Ngorimba Arts Trust before its closure. He later trained at AfriKera Arts Trust, studying Contemporary, Ballet, and Traditional Dance, graduating in 2021. Since then, he has worked with AfriKera Dance Theatre, Faye Jackson Dance Academy, and Company Chabarwa. Currently, he performs with nora chipaumire’s company. Also an instrumentalist, Jonathan plays mbira, drums, and marimba.

SoKo Jena is a multifaceted artist, musician, dancer, and choreographer from Zimbabwe. He founded the Jerahuni Movement Factory, offering free dance classes to those interested in movement. He believes physical expression gives outlet to spiritual and emotional undercurrents often ignored in other dance forms. A former dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Tumbuka Dance Company, he explores the body through his ‘jerahuni-technique’ without judgment. Jerahuni is a Pina Bausch Dance Fellow (2020) and an MFA student at

tyroneisaacstuart is a multidisciplinary artist, currently working on an album and supporting gallery space project that combines sound, movement, artist book making and the spoken word. He began his journey at 14, later earning a BA in Jazz Saxophone from MDX University and the University of New Orleans. His career highlights include performing with Tomorrow’s Warriors Jazz Ensemble, Boy Blue Entertainment, dancing in productions like East Wall (East London Dance), Multiplication of Rhythm (Anni Katrin Elmer/Irene Wernli), Concrete Dreams (Freddie Opoku-Addaie), a Sadler’s Wells residency and he’s in the first cohort of Studio Wayne McGregor’s Resident6.

Shamar Watt is an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and Miami. His work has been presented on international stages, including the Cartier Foundation (Paris), Sandrell Rivers Theater (Miami), and Roulette Intermedium (New York), among numerous others. He has collaborated with world-renowned sculptor and filmmaker Matthew Barney and has worked closely with the globally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist and choreographer nora chipaumire since 2015. Watt’s practice is grounded in a deep commitment to the (pre)formance of spiritual entertainment, the choreography of noise, and the illumination of movement through darkness. Through these devotions, his work aspires toward the manifestation of a new heaven and earth—a reimagined relation to relations.

Technical Team 

Vusumuzi “Vusa” Moyo is a freelance sound engineer from Zimbabwe with over two decades of experience. He has toured internationally as the principal sound engineer for prominent artists like Oliver Mtukudzi, Mahube, and Victor Kunonga. Known for his acute ear and technical expertise, Vusa is a top choice for major festivals in Zimbabwe and Zambia, including HIFA and Miombo Magic. He is equally skilled in both studio work and live events, and is expanding his expertise into film, working on documentaries, short films, and features.

Kwamina “Binnie” Biney (Sound Assistant) moved to the Big Apple to pursue a dream of creating meaningful art that could affect countless lives and/or in fact change the world. Starting out as a recording artist, Binnie soon realized to hone in on the passion there must be a holistic understanding of the craft. Not too soon after, He began to learn Audio engineering and producing. Along with a few close comrades, Binnie and his team founded red autumn studios and have worked for close to 10 years in pre/post A/V production.

Heidi Eckwall (Technical and Production Manager) is a lighting designer based in Minneapolis, MN whose work in dance, theater and performance spans several decades. She has toured with Nora Chipaumire, Rosy Simas, Emily Johnson, Urban Bush Women, BodyCartography Project, Hijack, and Margaret Jenkins. Heidi teaches Lighting Design at Colorado College.

Soren Kodak is a set designer, fabricator, and sculptural artist. He has created sets for theatrical works across the U.S. Soren is particularly passionate about creating designs for movement and play. He has worked with artists such as Eiko Otake, Baye & Asa and Ankita. Some of his recent work in New York has been seen with Bednark, Studio Guerox, and at Baryshnikov Arts Center.

A Conversation with the Artist

Léa Poiré interviews nora chipaumire for the Festival d’Automne Paris. 

The word dambudzo – ‘trouble’ or ‘problem’ in Shona, a Bantu language – has many meanings, from the most literal to the most philosophical. How would you personally define it?

As far as Europe is concerned, it’s fair to say that wherever we see the word “Africa”, it’s synonymous with “trouble”, because the relationship has always been so problematic. In the context of the decolonial process, we also have to understand trouble as the fact that we, the great Africa, are asking the former empire to face up to the situation. Based on this, my own definition is therefore both a situation that I would describe as unusual or difficult, a challenge but also a potential. Like the Shona language, which is very poetic and allows us to have several apprehensions at once, in my work I make sure that the recipient of this word can move around on several levels to be able to understand it.

It’s also the name of a Zimbabwean poet and writer, Dambudzo Marechera, to whom your creation refers. What are you inspired by his writings?

Dambudzo Marechera deals radically with the effects of the colonial project on the individual, the family, all the wounds it produces on us. Thinkers from different parts of Africa, such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o in Kenya and Steve Biko, a leading figure in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, are engaged in the same struggle. It is important to extend our bibliography to gain a broader view of the collective struggle being waged. However, Dambudzo Marechera is one of my personal heroes because I understand him well: his family and economic situation is no different from mine, I grew up during the period of black protest and liberation, and I went to the same university in Zimbabwe. The difference is that I’ve lived longer than he has [he died of HIV at the age of 35 – editor’s note] and that I’m a woman; although I identify with his female characters, who are dominated by patriarchal violence and, by extension, the violence of the state. Let’s just say that Marechera Dambudzo is a kind of soul mate for me, a comrade I can think with. I don’t think he was trying to speak on anyone’s behalf, but today, through this work, I hope to be able to repay him for what he gave me and extend his voice.

In this installation, you recreate shebeens, the informal bars in the townships of Zimbabwe and South Africa that Dambudzo Marechera used to frequent.

The original idea came from the Irish, who brought pub culture with them. We then made it our own, and shebeens have become a township identity. In practical terms, they are underground bars in people’s homes, where you know you can have a beer and go out. Any kind of person could go there: teachers, lawyers, workers, students and even secret agents interested in these meeting places. Because this is where ideas were exchanged and where revolutionary fervour was built up and grew. I’ve always been interested in these places where it’s possible to meet outside the white world and converse in your mother tongue, even if it means using tricks and codes. In shebeens, space is also private: families cook, children play and so on. If the police arrive, it’s no longer a bar but a house. That’s why the space in the Dambudzo installation is made of simple materials – wood, plastic and cardboard – and can be converted into several rooms, divided by large abstract paintings I’ve made on tarpaulins. I see shebeens as both a physical place and a psychological and emotional place, a state of mind.

How does the audience participate in the installation?

Some people might call my work choreography, but I’m just talking about life. As performers, we are the paintbrushes and the audience is the paint. You can’t have one without the other. So we are together in this space and move with its energy. What’s more, I’m not really interested in the notion of the fourth wall and the space of Western theatre, which protects a colonial, vertical, classist vision. We don’t need to use the master’s tools to destroy the master’s house.

To talk about movement you use only action verbs: throw, run and even fly. What do these words generate?

In some neighborhoods, trouble can happen quickly, someone can get beaten up or assaulted. Running, throwing, bending over, picking up and pushing are physical gestures that we actually do on a daily basis. The movement vocabulary I use is not abstract, it’s practical and very logical. Also, these action experiences are very important to me because you don’t need to be trained, to be a professional dancer, to do and understand them. As for the verb “to fly”, in my opinion walking is putting one foot in front of the other. As soon as you start running, you are at times in the air, in full flight.

Why does Dambudzo feature dog silhouettes?

The Rhodesian settlers created a breed called the Rhodesian-ridgeback, the result of a cross between a European dog and a hunting dog. It’s a fairly large, robust and widespread dog. Some people love them… But it’s important to remember that they were used by colonists to hunt and discipline African populations. Having grown up in Southern Rhodesia, I’ve been shaped by this colonial history. As a result, I’m absolutely petrified by the dogs that now guard the gardens and still accompany the police. Their barking awakens traumas. It’s an underground violence that you can’t see but you can hear. So I use their images but also their sound frequencies to show life under colonial conditions as it is: in perpetual tension.

SUPPORT

DAMBUDZO is a commission of Wiener Festwochen and Festival d’Automne à Paris, produced by nora chipaumire, and developed in residency with Callie’s Berlin. Funded by the Visual Arts Project Fund of the Goethe-Institut. nora chipaumire inc. is supported by the Mellon Foundation.

FRINGEARTS SUPPORT 

Icon Producers
Mark and Tobey Dichter

Co-producer
Nancy Lanham