PATRICE NAIAMBANA 

THE DECOLONIAL SALON

                    CURATED BY PATRICE NAIAMBANA - A DIASPORA PERFORMANCE LAB EXPERIENCE AT TOTNES CINEMA

                          Dr Cheryl Diane Parkinson read from her novel 'Berthas' to a backdrop of experimental improvised music


Synopsis of 'Berthas'


Berthas is a novel exploring the Black British Caribbean Identity of Black British Caribbean Women and the notion of 'blackness.' Set in both the UK and the West Indies, Berthas explores the issues of hybridity, diaspora, and duality; following four women over four generations. The imagery presented is vivid and the language is lyrical. This emotive tale begins with the death of a matriarch and ends in the birth of her granddaughter.


Berthas is written in a lyrical style much like Toni Morrison's Jazz (1992), Beloved (1987) as well as Sam Selvon's Lonely Londoners (1956). Like these novels, Berthas has a distinct but modern style that deliberately links with these lyrical novels. And like the characters and people it represents, the structure of this novel is of a hybrid nature. Berthas rests within the oral tradition of the Caribbean as well as incorporating the traditional superstitious beliefs that survived African Slavery, combined/compared with the religious Christian beliefs of the West, and is very much set in the modern world. The language is also reflective of the hybridity of the people, combining English with Patois in order to create a new language for a new people.


The DECOLONIAL SALON 

MARRONAGE DIASPORA PERFORMANCE REFLECTION

 This is a lab space where Citizens and Artists gather to commune, share and explore Diaspora Stories and Heritage. It is space for healing through stories. Experienced Artists reveal insights into Southern Narratives and Craft. Citizens speak and bond over a mutual passion - the search for fairer routes to a more just world. The plan is to document and facilitate options for inclusive performance practice for diverse communities, critical thinking and practical change through the arts. The methodology used is called Hothausing - Southern Narratives (HOT) facilitated by Master Artists in a short space of time inspired by the BAUHAUS movement - HAUS - I developed this adaptable method to more effectively assist practitioners and communities to engage ancestral anchorages of the African Diaspora Imaginary. 

We create a piece in order to remember and honour memory by listening and speaking. All are welcome
Our First Catalyst Narrative is

'Saltwater Runs In My Veins' by Pritz Dullay is the first in a series of catalyst texts - a true family story of exile and anti-apartheid activism. See lab documentation below of the quality of interaction and learning we share. This was a self funded lab at The Arcola Theatre.

'Swarte Piet Speaks' (images below) is a fertile example of investigating a social narrative, sharing responses, creating and delivering an innovative performance-story for stimulating constructive citizen dialogue.

This project explored the ongoing tradition of Swarte Piet in the Netherlands and the resistance movement to the blackface element of the Christmas season festivities. 

The documentation of process, presentation and audience dialogue is available on request.
Middelburg, Netherlands - Roosevelt Academy/Ko' Dooor 2012
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