Afrolution 2018

Afrotopian Synergies unites three different forms of expression, three continents and the creative potential of three Afrodiasporic generations. An evening to contemplate the relationship between spoken word, dance and music. With dub-poetry pioneer Lillian Allen from Toronto, musician Claude Gomis together with his band »Seeds of Baobab« and the dancer duo Tchekpo Dan and Dhélé Agbetou, the artists meet in a dialogue delving deep into the world of intergenerational Afrodiasporic knowledge. Their improvisation develops from the works of Lillian Allen.

Poet and professor Lillian Allen has been performing as a spoken word artist since the 1970s. The two-time Juno Award winner has never stopped engaging in the ght for equality of Caribbean communities in Canada and has employed her socially-committed poetry to advocate for Black women throughout the world. Hers is a resilient voice which has supported and accompanied the rise and struggle of the African diaspora in Canada. Allen’s poetry is translated into dance by the father-son-duo Tchekpo Dan and Dhélé Agbetou. Through the traditions, in uencing the two dancers – modern dance, classical dance and hiphop. The places the artists bridge – Berlin, Dakar, Kingston, Cotonou, New York, Toronto, Bielefeld and Paris – oscillate in the music of Claude Gomis and his band »Seeds of Baobab«, which combines Senegalese traditions, reggae and afrobeat.