UKUWELA EMNGCELENI, UKUPHEFUMLA KANYE neREVOLUTION

Inkulumo yokuvela ebusuku nguMqondisi Wezobuciko weJOMBA! Dr. Lliane Loots (ihunyushwe nguLisa Goldstone)

Imingcele, yangempela futhi ecatshangelwe, ivinjezelwe. Njengabenzi bomdanso nabadansi abazibandakanya nomzimba njengendawo, umzimba njengendawo yokugcina umlando, umzimba njengenkumbulo, nomzimba njengekusasa elingaba khona… ifomu lethu lobuciko liba yindawo edingekayo yokuhamba ukweqa imingcele okubalulekile futhi okuqhubekayo.

Kulokhu kukhishwa kwethu kwe-JOMBA ngama-23 ngonyaka we-2021, sathatha njengenselelo yokuphatha, lo mbono weBorder Crossings (ukuwela imingcele) ukuzulazula kumbono wokuvula wezikhathi zethu zamanje. Ngokunaka isimo somhlaba wonke, sase-Afrika naseNingizimu Afrika samanje futhi esiqhubekayo senhlekelele yomphakathi, yezempilo kanye namasiko — yemingcele egugile emisiwe, ediliziwe, eyakhiwe kabusha (kwesinye isikhathi enolaka kakhulu) futhi eyakhiwa kabusha — thina eCentre for Creative Arts naseJOMBA siyaqhubeka nokusebenzisa le ndawo yomkhosi wokudansa yokulwela ukuhlonipha abasebenzi bezamasiko baseNingizimu Afrika, i-Afrika kanye nabalingani bethu bomhlaba wonke abathi bonke (ngezindlela zabo ezahlukahlukene) baqhubeke nokwenza izindlela ezinqamula futhi zinqamule imingcele enezinkinga, ubulili, ezempilo nezobuciko.

Sihlonipha bonke abenzi bomdanso esinabo eJOMBA lonyaka ngendlela abaqhubeka ngayo nokuvula izingxoxo ezibalulekile futhi, okusikhumbuza kakhulu — ngoba kwesinye isikhathi kuyakhohlakala ebunzimeni — ukuthi zonke izinguquko zidinga ubuhle. Ngikhunjuzwa nge “Revolutionary Petunias” ka-Alice Walker, noBen Okri bethi, “Into eyiqiniso kakhulu ngathi amandla ethu okudala, ukunqoba, ukubekezelela, ukushintsha, nokuthanda”. Ubuciko bethu — nokwenza kwethu umdanso — yilo mgwaqo ojiyayo (futhi kwesinye isikhathi unyamalale) osisiza ukuthi siwugcine ezihambayo.

Ngakho-ke, ukuhlonipha ukuthi sonke, naphezu kokuphefumula kwethu sonke, sisanyakaza, ngithatha lesi sikhathi ukunamukela ekuvulweni kwe-23 JOMBA CONTEMPORARY DANCE EXPERIENCE — sihlala sizinikele kakhulu ekwethuleni isikhala, futhi, esinikezayo ukwesekwa okunomsoco nokunakekelwa, kanye nokuzibophezela okukhulu kwezobuciko nabenzi bomdanso nabadansi baseNingizimu Afrika, base-Afrika kanye nabamazwe omhlaba.

Ukuvulwa namhlanje kusihlwa kufaka phakathi umenzi womdanso wethu we-2021 JOMBA Legacy Artist, uJay Pather. UJOMBA kuyamthokozisa ukuhlonipha uJay Pather ngale ndlela iminyaka yakhe engaphezu kwamashumi amathathu enza umdanso obucayi futhi oqotho osekukaningi uqhuba ushintsho olubalulekile kumdanso waseNingizimu Afrika, futhi okubuye kwabona izindlela zokuqeqesha zikaJay zakha izizukulwane zabadansi abasha.

uPather akuyena umuntu ongamthatha njengomuntu ongamazi uJOMBA! futhi, eminyakeni edlule, unikeze imisebenzi yakhe eminingi yokudansa neSiwela Sonke Dance Theatre kulo mkhosi. Njengomsunguli nomqondisi wenkampani, umsebenzi kaPather uyisibonelo se- “Border Crossings” yenselelo yomkhosi walo nyaka.

Ukubuka kwakhe ngesibindi nangobuciko ekuphikiseni izingxabano zamasiko, ekungakhululekeni kokuthi kusho ukuthini ukuba ngumuntu waseNingizimu Afrika wanamuhla, kukhombisa ohlelweni kusihlwa olubizwa nge-Undertow oluyinhlanganisela yamafilimu anezincazelo ezinhle ezivela (kanye eminye imisebenzi kaPather) Qaphela Caesar, rite, Body of Evidence”ne-Hotel kufaka phakathi iSiwela Sonke Dance Theatre. Kuyingobo yomlando, kuyinkumbulo, futhi kuyikusasa, okukhona, konke kuhlanganiswe kube munye.

Ngiyakumema ukuba uzibandakanye nalokhu kuhlangabezana nezinsuku eziyi-13 — ukuthi ubambe iqhaza (konke mahhala) kwamanye amazwi omdanso abaluleke kakhulu emhlabeni. I-JOMBA futhi iyisikhumbuzo sokunqoba komoya womuntu ukuthi uvuke — futhi sihlanganyele emphakathini okungukuthi, okuyimpahla yethu ebaluleke kakhulu njengamanje njengabadansi. Ngiphetha ngokusho okumbalwa nje eqenjini elihleli ngemuva kwami kusihlwa futhi elisizile ukubamba lesi sikhala ngothando nokunakekela.

· Ngiqala ngokubonga u-Ismail Mahomed — umqondisi we-Centre for Creative Arts. Ngimbonga ngokungisekela njalo, ngezindlela ezintsha nezindlela ezizungeze le ndawo, kepha ikakhulu ngomusa wakhe omkhulu,

· Ngiyalazisa iqembu leCentre for Creative Arts elisize ukuthola iJOMBA lapha kusihlwa, ikakhulukazi uNonsikelelo ‘Yenzi’ Ndaba.

· Ngiyaqhubeka nokubonga iNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali kanye ne “College of Humanities” yethu ngokuba nombono wokusiza nokunakekela iCentre for Creative Arts,

· Ngibonga uWesley Maherry ngokuba yiqhawe lobuchwepheshe elenzele ukulethwa kwethu kwedijithali kweJOMBA.

· Ngibonga uSharlene Versveld omkhankaso wakhe wezokusakaza nokwazisa usekele ukufinyelela kulo mkhosi emhlabeni wonke. Ngifuna ukwazisa ukuzinikela kwakhe nokuziphatha kwakhe.

· Ngibonga uClare Craighead ngobuholi bakhe obucophelelayo kwiwebhusayithi yomuntu siqu ye-JOMBA KHULUMA kanye nokubhala kwakhe njengombhali.

· Ngibonga uThobile Maphanga ngezwi lakhe elisha futhi elinamandla, futhi ngamamukela ethimbeni labaphathi beJOMBA 2021 njengomphathi wethu.

Okokugcina kubaxhasi bethu ababeka imali lapho besiyidinga khona — ngiyabonga:

- I-Andrew Mellon Foundation

- I-National Institute for Humanities and Social Science (Isikhungo Sikazwelonke Sezobuntu Nesayensi Yezenhlalo) (NIHSS)

- NeSwami Vivekananda Cultural Centre kanye neIndia Consulate lapha eThekwini.

Ngiyaphetha, ngokucaphuna u-Arundhati Roy, osikhumbuza, yize kunomoya omningi ngalesi sikhathi, leyo nguquko ephikisayo ihlale ikhona — futhi ngiyazi ukuthi ngihlale ngibheka kubenzi bomdanso ukuthola izindawo zokuzulazula. U-Arundhati Roy uthi:

“Omunye umhlaba akunakwenzeka kuphela, usendleleni. Ngosuku oluzolile, ngimuzwa ephefumula. ”

Ngiyabonga!