“Simply being there was revolutionary.”
Sub-Saharan Africa

A Goethe-Institut Johannesburg pilot project brings artists with disabilities from Sub-Saharan Africa to the Düsseldorf dance fair – making a powerful statement for visibility and inclusion.

In August 2024, an inclusive visitors’ trip to Internationale Tanzmesse NRW took place for the first time – initiated by the Goethe-Institut’s regional branch for sub-Saharan Africa, based in Johannesburg. Seven artists from Angola, Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Kenya travelled to Düsseldorf at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut. For many, it was their first time in Europe. What united them is that they all live with a disability – and are actively shaping the cultural landscapes of their home countries.
 

Internationale Tanzmesse NRW, which has made accessibility a priority in recent years, offered the perfect framework for this pilot project. For the participants, taking part in the programme was not only a personal premiere but also a political statement: “Simply being there was revolutionary.”

Inclusion starts at the drawing board

The trip was a first in many ways – also for the Goethe-Institut’s Visitors Programme. In close cooperation with the initiators, Asma Diakité and Josephine Heide, as well as Sabine Lindlar, Tanzmesse’s accessibility manager, a detailed concept was developed. It covered everything from accessible accommodation, specialised transport services, personal assistants to interpretation into sign languages and English, French and Portuguese.

Despite thorough preparation, the team faced a number of challenges, such as hotels that turned out to be less accessible than advertised and long waits for transfers between venues. But with openness, flexibility and mutual trust, the team members and participants overcame these obstacles together.
 

Learning for the future

“The visit was an important learning experience – for us as an organisation but also for Tanzmesse itself,” concluded Susanne Sporrer, Head of the Visitors Programme. She emphasised that: “True inclusion requires adequate funding, reliable infrastructure and specialised support. Only when these are in place can we facilitate participation that goes beyond symbolic gestures.”

One disappointment was the cancellation of the only performance by a disabled artist in the official performance programme due to injury. Guests expressed a clear desire for more explicitly inclusive programming – a key takeaway the organisers are committed to addressing.
 

Creating, connecting, empowering

Despite all the challenges, the visit proved to be a resounding success for the participants. They made contacts within the international dance community, exchanged insights about their artistic practices and found solidarity and mutual support among themselves – an experience made all the more meaningful given the scarcity of inclusive mobility programmes across the African continent.

The group intends to keep in contact and already has a vision for the next stage: to present a collaborative work as ambassadors at the next edition of Tanzmesse, bringing together their diverse forms of artistic expression.

The start has been made

This inclusive visit was more than just a pilot project – it marked a bold step forward. For greater visibility. For broader inclusion. And for cultural work that excludes no one.