Locked Doors, Behind Doors

A work that explores South Africa’s silenced, almost forgotten, history of slave and migrant labour. 

In a world upended by a pandemic, locked down levels and restricted freedoms have become the norm. Fear, anger, anxiety and hopelessness have become overriding emotions.  

“Locked Doors, Behind Doors” is a new work directed by award winning choreographer, Sbonakaliso Ndaba, the Artistic Director of Indoni Dance, Arts and Leadership Academy. Together with her dancers, Ndaba explores the stark reality of our current world, where present generations of South Africans have had to live isolated in their homes, many in cramped and crowded conditions in the townships, the hotspots of infections.  

Together they have researched our history of lockdowns and forged a work that remembers, with respect and compassion, the thousands of South Africa who lived and worked under conditions even more appalling and restricted.  

They firstly delved deeply into histories of the generations of slaves who were stripped of their own identities, home and family, then transported and sold to provide labour to the colony whilst being housed in overcrowded, disease - ridden lodges.   

They then turned their spotlight on generations of migrant labourers, who were housed in cramped single sex hostels, controlled by curfews and the infamous pass book.  

The little- known preserved Hostel 33 at the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum will celebrate the 21st year of their opening as a museum on 1st May 2021, the National Public Holiday of Workers Day.  

This is the perfect day and place for the first performance of “Locked Doors, Behind Doors”. A day of Memory and Healing, to pay homage to and remember these millions of workers that built South Africa.  

The creation and performance of “Locked Doors, Behind Doors” has been developed in partnership with the Goethe-Institut South Africa as part of the Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS), together with additional funding from Temo, BASA, and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture’s Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme Stream 2 funding via the NAC.  

Paula Kelly: Publicity Indoni Dance, Arts & Leadership Academy  

Cell: 083 267 3029  

Email: paulak@artslink.co.za 

Website: http://indoni-academy.org/ 

Instagram: #indoniacademy 

Twitter: @IndoniDance 

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