Good and evil are set to square off in Osborne Village this weekend as\u00a0NAfro\u00a0Dance Productions shares a story with a poignant message for our times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mbunda \u2013 the latest creation by\u00a0NAfro\u2019s\u00a0artistic director Casimiro\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0\u2013 is a fictional\u00a0village\u00a0in 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\u00a0shares a traditional blessing with the community who learns a valuable lesson along the way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very energetic piece, very emotional,\u201d\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0says. \u201cThere\u2019s\u00a0a lot of singing,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a lot of theatrical moments,\u00a0and also,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a lot of, of course, movement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The project, which\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0describes 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\u00a0cites were driving forces to share it with Winnipeg audiences this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world we\u2019re living in now, I\u2019m think that we\u2019re kind of making the bad thing become normal,\u201d\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0shares. \u201cWe\u00a0have to\u00a0make a difference here:\u00a0there’s\u00a0bad,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0good.\u00a0But\u00a0what’s\u00a0happening lately \u2013 the bad becomes normal, and after all, we forget what good is because the bad becomes good and then everything becomes mixed up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Although the struggle between good and evil in Mbunda is\u00a0ultimately resolved\u00a0for the better,\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0points out that the fictional community is\u00a0not the same as\u00a0it once was after the experience. While it is not as innocent as it once was, the community\u00a0possesses\u00a0something just as valuable for the experience:\u00a0learning. It is a quality that he hopes that audiences take with them as they contemplate the world outside the theatre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLife, it comes back,\u201d\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0says of the ending. \u201cIt\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0come back as crispy as it was before, but it comes back and starts rolling again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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While certainly more pointed and emotionally charged than other\u00a0NAfro\u00a0Dance shows,\u00a0Nhussi\u00a0is confident that the audience will be inspired\u00a0by the piece\u00a0to take on the challenge of confronting bad elements in society in good faith with\u00a0the\u00a0goal of improving community life.\u00a0\u201cWe need to remind ourselves that that thing is bad, we need to move away from this bad thing so that we can \u2013 all of us \u2013 inspire each other with a good vibe, with a good spirit,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n