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Event
Culturescapes Performance Day | Prince Toffa : Abla Gouda. Fire
Free admission, no booking required
Culturescapes Performance Day: Languages and Movements
The Sahara is all about rhythms. The circadian rhythms of the desert dwellers sync with the rhythms of day breaks and sunsets. The rhythms of the winds set people in to motion. The Sahara is all about languages. The many languages in and around the Sahara move with the people, some of who are nomadic, while others are migrants traversing the desert from south to north in search of better lives. The verbal and non-verbal languages of movement convergein the Saharan space to share stories, reveal secrets, express pain, voice inequalities and injustices, fight for freedom, dance, laugh, and sing. Embracing the diversity of languages and voices spoken in and around the Sahara requires sensitivity and openness.
The Performance Day that closes Culturescapes 2025 Sahara opens a space to meet the Saharan languages and movements through performative walks, guitar music, dance, chants, and meditation by artists from different parts of the African continent.
Prince Toffa. Abla Gouda. Fire (15’)
As the artist walks through space, Gouda, a man who weaves baskets, transforms into Abla, one of the signs of the deity of Fȃ. Prince Toffa tells a legend of Gouda cutting off the tail, a symbol of power, of the king’s lost white horse, and, supported by the spirits, acknowledging this deed to the king. Because of his bravery, the king spares him, gives him food, drink, clothes, and land. Gouda becomes Abla, Abla Gouda. This performance also refers to Hévioso, a deity of fire.
Credits: Prince Toffa – Zogbé 2025 © ZVG