Bosangani presents

With the Bosangani festival, the Congolese choreographer and dancer Jolie Ngemi aims to create visibility for Kinshasa's vibrant dance scene and provide a source of inspiration for local artists and international guests with exchanges, workshops and performances.

For this evening at STUK, she brings emerging artists from Kinshasa to Europe with their new productions: Tina Bokata, the duo Ambassa Kibala & Isaac Tshipema and Guelord Vulu highlight the lively dance scene of the Congolese capital.

Tina Bokata — Ndelo

In an intimate exploration, Tina Bokata reflects on her own identity and origins. She returns to her village, many kilometres away from Kinshasa, to understand and question the ancestral traditions of her culture. The Lokele, a subgroup of the Mongo ethnic group (Anamongo), places numerous restrictions on women. Restrictions that Tina tries to decipher and question by breaking down personal and cultural barriers. Ndelo is both a tribute to Lokele culture and a call for emancipation.

Ambassa Kibala & Isaac Tshipema — Moto na Moto

In Lingala, ‘moto’ means fire, a good friend, the head, or also a trustworthy person. Inspired by these multiple meanings, the performance presents two dancers with strikingly different styles. One embodies fire (moto), energy, passion and intensity. The other embodies friend (moto) and exudes a calm and reassuring presence. An encounter of vibrant, explosive and powerful dance with fluid, measured and gentle gestures. Moto na Moto transforms the stage into a living tableau of diversity. A reflection on human beings in all their complexity.

Guelord Vulu — Kinini

Set in the heart of Kinshasa's popular neighbourhoods, Kinini (‘bitterness’ in Lingala) explores life in Kinshasa through hip-hop. It questions the city's cultural identities and diversity, and addresses social inequalities and demands towards the authorities that influence much of it. Since the 1990s, hip-hop has resonated in Kinshasa as an expression of the challenges of a city characterised by poverty and socio-economic difficulties. It uses Lingala and Ndombolo rhythms. Kinini fuses hip-hop culture with the traditions of Kinshasa, creating a hybrid piece between rap, dance and street art. It mixes SAPE, Rumba, local languages, customs and beliefs. Resilience and creativity offer a new perspective on the intersection of hip-hop culture and Kinshasa's traditions.