DAMBUDZO

Before THE SHOW:
On Friday 17 October, a screening of the film NORA* (30 mins) to 19:00 by David Hinton and Alla Kovgan (TBC) @HALLES

AFTER THE SHOW:
On Friday 17 October, there will be a small talk (En) with nora chipaumire and Marie Umuhoza** @HALLES - Conversation about the work Dambudzo and spaces for collective reinvention.
On Saturday 18 October, there will be an after party with nora chipaumire @BOZAR (7 p.m. to 1 a.m.)

With Dambudzo, Zimbabwean choreographer Nora Chipaumire opens up a hybrid space free of genres and classifications. Inspired by both the word “dambudzo” (“trouble” in Shona) and the work of her compatriot, the writer Dambudzo Marechera, she has conceptualised a composite work designed to flourish in unique spaces like Les Halles de Schaerbeek.

Paintings, sculptures, sounds, dance... all these forms of expression interact to recreate the bustling atmosphere of the shebeens, the underground bars of the townships of southern Africa. With no framework imposed and no division between artists and spectators, Dambudzo challenges colonial legacies and invites the public to let themselves be carried away by the beat. In this way, Nora Chipaumire brings to life an intense and liberating experience.

* Screening of NORA, by David Hinton and Alla Kovgan.
This short film is inspired by real events in the life of dancer Nora Chipaumire, born in Zimbabwe in 1965. In the film, Nora returns to the country of her childhood and embarks on a journey through some of the most memorable moments of her youth. Using acting and dance, she brings her story to life in a fast-paced poem of sounds and images. Filmed entirely in South Africa, Nora also features a multitude of local artists and dancers of all ages, from young students to elderly grandmothers. Much of the music was specially composed by a legend of Zimbabwean music: Thomas Mapfumo.

* * Marie Umuhoza (Nairobi, 1996) is a multidisciplinary creative producer based in Brussels. With an ingenious and intuitive approach, she develops her practices as a programmer, curator, poet, playwright, moderator and speaker.
From 2020 to 2024, she worked as artistic coordinator and programmer at Decoratelier, where she explored the different dynamics that can emerge from intentional spaces. Since 2022, she has been a member of the nomadic platform Gouvernement, where she co-programmes the BREAKFASTCLUB format.
In 2023, she became artistic director and programmer of the multidisciplinary festival Africa is/in the Future, dedicated to contemporary Afro and diasporic futurology in Brussels. In the same year, she also joined La Bellone as associate playwright.
In 2025, she is conducting research on the transdisciplinary performance Holy, in collaboration with Martha Canga Antonio and Vivi Focquet.