Good and evil are set to square off in Osborne Village this weekend as NAfro Dance Productions shares a story with a poignant message for our times.
Mbunda – the latest creation by NAfro’s artistic director Casimiro Nhussi – is a fictional village in central Africa where a witch wreaks havoc with their magic. The forces of good come in the form of a healer, a central part of many African traditions, that shares a traditional blessing with the community who learns a valuable lesson along the way.
“It’s a very energetic piece, very emotional,” Nhussi says. “There’s a lot of singing, there’s a lot of theatrical moments, and also, there’s a lot of, of course, movement.”
The project, which Nhussi describes as one of his most ambitious yet, has been in the works for the last four years. The state of the world and the disinformation and mistrust that run rampant within it are two of the factors that he cites were driving forces to share it with Winnipeg audiences this year.
“The world we’re living in now, I’m think that we’re kind of making the bad thing become normal,” Nhussi shares. “We have to make a difference here: there’s bad, there’s good. But what’s happening lately – the bad becomes normal, and after all, we forget what good is because the bad becomes good and then everything becomes mixed up.”
Although the struggle between good and evil in Mbunda is ultimately resolved for the better, Nhussi points out that the fictional community is not the same as it once was after the experience. While it is not as innocent as it once was, the community possesses something just as valuable for the experience: learning. It is a quality that he hopes that audiences take with them as they contemplate the world outside the theatre.
“Life, it comes back,” Nhussi says of the ending. “It doesn’t come back as crispy as it was before, but it comes back and starts rolling again.”
While certainly more pointed and emotionally charged than other NAfro Dance shows, Nhussi is confident that the audience will be inspired by the piece to take on the challenge of confronting bad elements in society in good faith with the goal of improving community life. “We need to remind ourselves that that thing is bad, we need to move away from this bad thing so that we can – all of us – inspire each other with a good vibe, with a good spirit,” he says.
Mbunda will be shared in three performances at the Gas Station Arts Centre on March 6 and 7. Showtimes, tickets and more information can be found at NAfro Dance Productions’ website.