(Kat Francois &. Iain
EWOK Robinson. Pic by Sloetry Photography)
Tomorrow night (October 29), two international artists come
together on stage in an original and explosive Spoken Word theatre piece
entitled I to I at the Square Space
Theatre for a short season.
Iain EWOK Robinson (SA) is everything that Kat Francois (UK)
is not. He is the White African European Man to her Black European African
Woman. Together they tackle issues of ancestry and identity using the humour,
passion and energy of their unique styles of writing and performing poetry.
Whether talking to themselves, each other or the audience, these two veterans
of the SLAM and the stage are fully engaged in carving out a new space for race
to identify itself, using cutting humour and sharp tongues.
Kat Francois is a comedienne, poet, playwright, actress,
performer, host, schools and youth facilitator. She was the first person to win
a televised poetry slam competition in the UK, winning the BBC3 TV Slam and holds
the 2005 title for the World Slam Champion in Rotterdam. She is resident poet
at Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London, where she hosts and organises a
monthly poetry and music night called Word4Word.
EWOK needs no introduction to SA audiences, with a body of
work that includes five Spoken Word theatre shows, two poetry anthologies and
numerous recorded works. This self-styled "Spoken Word flavoured Hip Hop
activist" began his career as a freestyle battle rap and Poetry Slam
champion. He is an award winning actor and an educator. His latest show Yobo
premiered on the Main programme at this year’s Standard Bank National Arts
Festival.
Respected artist and film-maker Karen Melissa Logan, who
directs the ensemble piece, is also tasked with creating the multi-faceted
layering of audio and visual, establishing a mixed-media canvas that blends the
body of the performer with the audio-visual elements, and synthesizing the
score with what’s spoken on stage. The work also makes use of photography by
UK-based Robert Covell.
“I have been interested for some time in what part I could
best play in international Black History Month and where I fit into the story
that is being told.” explains Robinson. “This personal journey has in many ways
been sparked by the impassioned #RhodesMustFall movement and other similar
campaigns where young black South Africans are owning their history. The more I
read, the more I challenge my own concept of history, the more I try to rethink
these stories, and the more I come to realise how bizarre the whole notion of
history is. So this piece for me is about confronting my own understanding of
history, face to face with someone as strong as Kat whose version would be
quite different from mine. We are interested to see how we collectively get to
reformat, or recalibrate the stories for future generations – and we hope that
as we unpack and challenge each other that we will be able to laugh at
ourselves as we do so.”
Kat Francois, who recently participated in the 19th Poetry
Africa Festival in Durban, met Ewok at the 2005 Poetry International World
Slampionship in Rotterdam, where she took the title. She says "Iain is an
artist I respect. He is willing to pose questions and explore racial divisions.
Challenging his perceptions of race will be an exciting and necessary
process."
I to I runs at the
Square Space Theatre, UKZN, from October 29 to November 1. Performances last
for 60 with shows at 19h00 on Thursday and Friday and at 15h00 on Saturday and
Sunday. Tickets R50 and R30 for student/block-bookings (over 10) can be
purchased at the door. For more information contact Karen on 074 102 1371 or karen@amehlovideo.com
Produced by Amehlo Productions,I to I is supported by the SA-UK Seasons 2014 & 2015, a
partnership between the Department of Arts and Culture, South Africa and the
British Council.
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