The inaugural Artfluence Human Rights Festival presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal will showcase the work of human rights defenders in South Africa and on the continent – past and present – and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. Supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands, it will run for four days from Wednesday 5 May to Saturday 8 May, 2021.
Celebrating the festival theme “Voices of Hope, Courage & Resilience”, the 6 May show at 7pm turns to spotlight three dance makers who are also human rights activists in the sphere of inclusive disability dance practice. The CCA’s JOMBA! artistic director Lliane Loots curates.
Advocate for social justice
The current human rights paradigm understanding disability requires nation-states to not only provide disability-related services, but also to adopt measures to change attitudes that stigmatise persons with disabilities.
Choreographers featured are South Africa’s Nadine McKenzie from UNMUTE DANCE COMPANY in Cape Town, Ondiege Matthew from DANCE INTO SPACE working in Nairobi, Kenya and Adriaan Luteijn from INTRODANS based in Arnhem in The Netherlands. These three dance makers exemplify – through a long history of dance making – the theme of this year’s Artfluence Human Rights Festival.
Discussion panel
A dance work by each of these choreographers is screened, and a discussion panel lead by Loots will follow. Dance works screening are ACCESS DENIED with concept and direction by Nadine Mckenzie and filmed by Themba Mbuli, AGWATA choreographed by Ondiege Matthew, and Adriaan Luteijn’s CIRCULAR. This is the first time these three ground-breaking new (short) works are screened in South Africa.
The festival marks the 25th anniversary of the Centre for Creative Arts as a creative enabler and advocate for social justice and democracy and the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the South African Constitution.
The Freedom of Expression panel will be screened on Wednesday, 5 May at 5 pm.
The festival is freely accessible and can be watched at www.facebook.com/artfluencefest and www.youtube.com/centreforcreativearts
What: Artfluence Human Rights Festival 2021
When: 5 – 8 May 2021
Where: www.facebook.com/artfluencefest, www.youtube.com/centreforcreativearts
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