SPAfrica

Julian Hetzel ^{(Netherlands / Germany)} & Ntando Cele ^{(South Africa / Switzerland)}

Minimum age 16+

90 minutes

English spoken

Dutch & French surtitled

Thu 21.11.24 CC De Schakel Waregem

More info

Follow live the launch of a subversive new product: bottled drinking water from Sub-Saharan Africa imported to Europe as a luxury item. While at the same time European tears flow back to African sources.

Theatre-maker Julian Hetzel and performer Ntando Cele expose the problematic workings and hidden racism of empathy. An abrasive performance that combines theatre, music and video, as well as an invitation to think critically about capitalism and alliance.

SPAfrica is a solo performance about empathy and extractivism, exploring how closely racism is linked to capitalism. Julian Hetzel explores the limits of empathy - the ability to understand or feel what another is experiencing. What if empathy does not abolish or change existing power structures and privileges, but is a tool that reinforces them?

Through water and tears as conflict materials and metaphors for the extraction of natural and emotional resources, the performance builds on the transaction of these enduring resources between Europe and Africa - water for tears and tears for water. On the one hand, Sub-Saharan drinking water is imported to Europe: SPAfrica - the world's first empathy drink. On the other hand, tears are extracted in the heart of Europe and transferred to the origin of water in Africa. The project combines the exploitation of natural and emotional resources to expose neoliberal strategies in the search for alternative resources.

Discover also Wasted Land by Ntando Cele

In corealisation with
CC De Schakel

Concept: Julian Hetzel & Ntando Cele

Direction: Julian Hetzel

Performance: Ntando Cele

Dramaturgy: Miguel Angel Melgares

Artistic advisor: Sodja Lotker, Khanyisile Mbongwa

Music & composition: Frank Wienk

Light design: Nico de Rooij

Technical coordination: Vincent Beune, Aengus Havinga (previously: Cesco van der Zwaag, Martijn van Nunen, Bea Verbeek)

Technicians: Tom Doeven, Simon Kelaita, Bea Verbeek, Wout Jansen

Technical solutions: Merijn Versnel, Guido Bevers

Production coordinator: Marieke van den Bosch

Production Cape Town: Lungile Mbongwa

Galerist Cape Town: Mpilo Ngcukana

Production assistant: Jana Riese

Assistant costume designer: Merel van Erpers Roijaards

Mask artist: Carly Heathcote

Make-up artist: Julia Markow

Prop maker: Saskia Hartog

Video Documentation: Reynold Reynolds, Bongeka Ngcobo

Photography: Alexandra Masmanidi, Anouk Maupu

Special thanks to the local hosts of the artist talk

Produced by: Studio Julian Hetzel

Co-produced by: Schauspiel Leipzig (DE) CAMPO Gent (BE) Theatre Vidy-Lausanne (CH) SPRING Performing Arts Festival Utrecht (NL) Auawirleben, Bern (CH)

Supported by: Performing Arts Fund (NL) City of Utrecht (NL) Fonds21 Vriendenloterij Fund (NL) Prins Bernhard Culture Fund (NL) Fentener van Vlissingen Fonds Onassis AiR Athens (GR) 16 on Lerotholi Gallery (ZA)