Zebradans

Dear ones!

Since our last entry continents have been crossed and found, and babies born, and that is just for starters.

We also presented a work in progress at the festival Motion in exile at Zebradans in Stockholm, Sweden, in the autumn of 2010.

We were visited by school children aswell as Kulturrådet; all of them got to do the semafor-dance. And they did it oh so well!

When ever in Stockholm, make sure you check up what's going on in this warmhearted and wondrous dance palace.

Projekt Invitation now takes a short break from the road. We're preparing our continuation in Sverige late 2010 and 2011, and maybe the magic suitcase decides to make a few surprisestops on the way...

If you would like more information about the project or us please contact us on the mail.

From the bottom of our hearts we say to all who helped us make it happen;

A baraka baake! Tack så mycket! Merci beaucoup! Djerejef! Thankyou!

SVERIGE

Konstnärsnämnden

Stockholms Kulturförvaltning

Bitte Jarl

Ida Burén och Intercult

Figen Solmaz, Riksteatern

Sara Lindegren, Svenska ambassaden Dakar

Anita Nyman

TÜRKIYE

Pelin Basaran

SENEGAL

L'Ecole des Sables

Lycee Charles de Gaulle Saint-Louis

Centre Culturél Ziguinchor

The Cissokho family

Anita Soundsystem

Elhadji Thiam

Maaike Cotterink

and all of you others who support us.

...see you soon!

Projekt videoprojection

In the performance we have used videoprojections, not only as scenography but also as part of the choreography and history.

The more technique you use in a performance the more variables you also have that might decide to not cooperate. And all of a sudden you might find yourself in a taxi, burning a dvd while picking up a dvdplayer and hunting batteries to a remotecontrol, ten minutes before the show starts. Or on a festival in the middle of the night, everything drowned with condensed water, and next to a technician who conjures up new cables out of bits and sparepieces of headphones and old cables, literary speaking by the skin of his teeth. Maximum respect to the technicians of Africa!

Here's one of the videofilms we used in the performance. It's filmed both in Sweden and in Senegal - guess which beach is in which country...

Semafor videoclip

Here is a clip with Ege and Modou dancing the semafor with the videoprojections. The text which is recited in the play of voices is the first paragraph of the Declaration of the Human Rights. It is read in Jola, Manding, Wolof, Swedish, French and English.

They are also dancing the text; every move is a letter in semafor.

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience, and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Now let's have some attaya!

Midnightgig at the festival in Kap Skirring

We're heading for Kap Skirring; a village focused on tourists and vacations.

We'll be playing at the festival together with various Senegalese artists; the latest mbalax/hiphopstars aswell as traditional dancers with masks.

Coming from Sweden - a country that hasn't had a war for over 100 years (depending on how you define things...) - it's difficult to understand the complexity of the situation in Casamance. Although it was calm in Ziguinchor the rumour had that it was problems on the road, with the gendarmerie and fights. After waiting for information, and discussion with the family and friends, we decided to go.

A few controls down the road, but no problems. Sun shining, oceanwaves soothing, and the salesmen on the beach as busy as ever. Later we got to know that the Swedish consulate strongly adviced not to go to Casamance. According to the news there were shootings and hard action not far from where we were staying. Although we didn't notice any explosions that explained the serious faces on the guards at the passportcontrols in and out of Ziguinchor. Complex world indeed.

Soundcheck!

When playing at 2 o clock in the morning; beware of the condens that drowns the stage aswell as computers and other electric equipment.

Maximum respect to the Anita Soundsystem! The best sound on the tour, and impressive technicians who seemed more like magicians, finding solutions to whatever the problem.

Attayamoment. Who said drinking tea isn't rock'n'roll?!

Casamance!

It's so good to be back in Casamance and Ziguinchor, where it all began last year!

Modou stays with his family, and the rest of us with the sweet family Cissokho.

Since the Cissokhos are a griotfamily we're enjoying kora, beautiful singing and sweet attaya under the starry sky in the night.

Being a roadproject we decided that Lalo, Manjang and Suleiman (all Cissokhobrothers), Papis and Mouctar (friends aswell as musicians) would also play in the performance.

Now that we had the chance we also took most of the day to do a proper soundcheck, and prepare all the scenography.

We even got the time to make a poster for the performance!

Modou warming up the audience together with Lalo and the others.

And here's a piece of crabdance for you!

It's not that common to see contemporary dance in Senegal, but the audience seemed to like it...

...and the end, where Modou and Ege invite the audience to attaya, became a successful surprise!

Aline Sitoue Diatta

Our friends Fatoumata and Fatoubintou (in the picture above) were ready for new adventures, so we took the ferry to Ziguinchor, Casamance. The ferry is named after Aline Sitoue Diatta (also called the Joan of Arc of Senegal), a leader in the fight against the French Colonialism.

This year, the 4th of April, it's the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Senegal.

Since the trip is partly out on open sea, and there's a change in altitude, the ship is prepared and well equipped for the ones in need...

But we had a very pleasant trip! The soundtrack of the ferry was of course Yossou N'Dour. And along some parts of the beautiful coast of Casamance dolphins came to escort and say hi.