Afrovibes festival heads for The Courtyard (From Hereford Times)

Afrovibes festival heads for The Courtyard

8:00am Thursday 4th October 2012 in Local News By

AFROVIBES, a festival of contemporary theatre, dance, spoken word and music from South Africa and beyond, is at The Courtyard in Hereford from October 15-20 – one of only two rural venues it will visit in the course of a 10-venue tour of the UK.

Experience stunning performances onstage or hang out in the Township Cafe where authentic African food and drink and a host of festival fringe events will run throughout the week.

There’ll be workshops, debates, after-show talks, late night music or other pop-up performances.

The festival opens on October 15 with Mother to Mother, a solo performance in which the mother of one of four youths who have murdered American Fulbright scholar Amy Biehl tries to make sense of what has happened.

Tuesday sees the exuberant Sibiwka Orchestra offering audience a lively exchange of rhythms and beats – be prepared for high levels of audience participation – evoking the true spirit and ancestry of South Africa.

A dance double bill on October 18 comprises Inception and My Exile is in my Head. Inception, originally performed last year, is a complex, textured dance solo, an intensely physical and psychological journey into the psyche of a female artist. My Exile is in my Head is a solo dance/physical theatre piece inspired by Wole Soyinka’s prison notes, The Man Died.

Thirst, which can be seen on October 19, depicts the fortunes and misfortunes of three water carriers from an African village that has run out of water. The three encounter mysterious characters, riddles and provocations as they take an eventful journey to find the source of their dried out river.

The week ends on Saturday with comedy in And the Girls in Their Sunday Dresses, the story of two characters, The Woman and The Lady, who meet during a long wait in a queue to buy cheap rice. As they wait they share their stories and heartbreaks and resolve to stop waiting and seize control of their lives.

“We’re so excited to have Afrovibes here at The Courtyard,” says Grant Brisland, learning, participation and programming manager at The Courtyard. “As one of just two rural venues to have the festival, we’re delighted to have this opportunity to bring South African culture to Herefordshire.”

For full details of the Afrovibes festival, presented in conjunction with Hereford-based development charity Concern Universal, and to book, call the box office on 01432 340555.