Political Bodies

In June 2011, Senegal was shaken by mass protests, sparked by a resolution passed by the National Assembly which would allow presidential and vice-presidential candidates to be elected with only 25% of the vote. This resulted in the formation of the civic movement “J’en ai marre” (English: I’ve had enough!), led by prominent artists, intellectuals and musicians, criticising the political dysfunction in the country. The movement became highly popular due in large part to the integration of choreographic and musical elements. Its prominent supporters included rappers and break-dancers who spread their social and political messages in French and Wolof at public venues in Dakar, in busses and on marketplaces, which ultimately evolved into the protest form “Urban Poetry Guerrilla”.

For the dance and music project “Political Bodies”, the German-Mexican choreographer Yolanda Gutiérrez and dramaturge Jens Dietrich teamed up with the Senegalese musician and movement supporter Matador, the African American DJ Zen Jefferson and five Senegalese break-dancers to demonstrate the methods and choreographic forms of expressions which protesters successfully applied using their bodies. Musicians and dancers jointly developed a “dance dictionary of political battle”, exploring the relationship between the human body and politics, artistic actions and political mobilisation, based on the “J’en ai marre” protests.

In addition to the performances, a two-day symposium titled “African Hip Hop – A Lesson for European Democracy?” was held at Kampnagel in Hamburg and addressed such themes as the aestheticisation of protest cultures, the politicisation of Hip Hop in Senegal and the exchange between Senegalese and German project cultures. In cooperation with the Hamburg HipHop Academy, the symposium programme also featured the breakdance competition “Body is a Battlefield” and workshops by Senegalese dancers for young members of the HipHop Academy.

Concept and artistic direction: Yolanda Gutiérrez (choreography) and Jens Dietrich (dramaturgy), artistic assistant: Daniel Chelminiak, set designer: Anton Lukas, costume designer: Mame Cheikh Dabo aka TUKKI MODE, music: MATADOR, DJ: Zen Jefferson, artistic consultant: Djliy Aidara aka Djily Bagdad, dramaturgical assistant: Kerstin Ortmeier, production manager: Janosch Pomerenke

With: Baidy Ba, B-Boy Abdallah, B-Boy Ben-J, Papa Sangone Vieira, Lamine Diagne

Schedule

Performances in Dakar (L’ecole des sables) 9 – 10 Jan. 2015
Performances in Hamburg (Kampnagel) 4 – 7 Feb. 2015
Symposium in Hamburg (Kampnagel) 6 – 7 Feb. 2015
Performances in Cologne (Theater im Bauturm) 10 – 11 Feb. 2015