Celebrating Mama Africa: A Journey of a Fearless Singer Portrayed in a Daring Theatrical Performance

“When you speak about the legendary singer in South Africa, it’s akin to referring about a sovereign,” explains the choreographer. Referred to as the Empress of African Song, Makeba additionally spent time in Greenwich Village with jazz greats like prominent artists. Beginning as a teenager sent to work to support her family in Johannesburg, she later became a diplomat for Ghana, then Guinea’s official delegate to the United Nations. An outspoken anti-apartheid activist, she was the wife to a Black Panther. Her rich story and impact motivate Seutin’s new production, Mimi’s Shebeen, scheduled for its British debut.

The Fusion of Dance, Music, and Spoken Word

Mimi’s Shebeen combines dance, live music, and spoken word in a theatrical piece that is not a straightforward biodrama but utilizes her past, especially her story of exile: after moving to the city in the year, she was prohibited from her homeland for three decades due to her anti-apartheid stance. Subsequently, she was banned from the United States after marrying Black Panther activist her spouse. The show is like a ritual of remembrance, a reimagined memorial – some praise, part celebration, part provocation – with the fabulous South African singer the performer at the centre reviving her music to vibrant life.

Power and poise … the production.

In South Africa, a shebeen is an under-the-radar venue for home-brewed liquor and lively conversation, often presided over by a host. Her parent Christina was a proprietress who was arrested for illegally brewing alcohol when Makeba was 18 days old. Unable to pay the fine, Christina was incarcerated for half a year, bringing her infant with her, which is how Miriam’s remarkable journey began – just one of the things the choreographer learned when researching Makeba’s life. “So many stories!” exclaims she, when we meet in the city after a show. Seutin’s father is from Belgium and she mainly grew up there before relocating to study and work in the United Kingdom, where she founded her company the ensemble. Her South African mother would sing Makeba’s songs, such as Pata Pata and Malaika, when Seutin was a child, and dance to them in the living room.

Songs of freedom … the artist sings at Wembley Stadium in 1988.

A ten years back, her parent had cancer and was in medical care in London. “I stopped working for a quarter to look after her and she was constantly requesting the singer. She was so happy when we were singing together,” Seutin recalls. “There was ample time to kill at the facility so I began investigating.” As well as reading about her victorious homecoming to South Africa in the year, after the release of the leader (whom she had met when he was a young lawyer in the era), Seutin found that Makeba had been a someone who overcame illness in her youth, that her child the girl died in childbirth in the year, and that because of her exile she could not be present at her parent’s funeral. “Observing individuals and you look at their success and you forget that they are struggling like anyone else,” states the choreographer.

Development and Concepts

These reflections contributed to the making of the production (first staged in the city in the year). Thankfully, her parent’s treatment was successful, but the concept for the work was to honor “loss, existence, and grief”. In this context, Seutin highlights threads of her life story like memories, and nods more broadly to the theme of uprooting and loss today. Although it’s not explicit in the show, Seutin had in mind a additional character, a modern-day Miriam who is a traveler. “Together, we assemble as these other selves of characters connected to the icon to greet this young migrant.”

Rhythms of exile … performers in Mimi’s Shebeen.

In the performance, rather than being inebriated by the shebeen’s home-brew, the multi-talented dancers appear taken over by beat, in synthesis with the musicians on the platform. Seutin’s choreography incorporates multiple styles of dance she has learned over the time, including from African nations, plus the international cast’ personal styles, including urban dances like krump.

A celebration of resilience … Alesandra Seutin.

Seutin was surprised to find that some of the younger, non-South Africans in the group didn’t already know about the artist. (She passed away in 2008 after having a cardiac event on the platform in the country.) Why should new audiences discover Mama Africa? “In my view she would motivate young people to stand for what they are, speaking the truth,” says Seutin. “But she did it very elegantly. She expressed something poignant and then perform a lovely melody.” Seutin aimed to adopt the similar method in this production. “We see movement and hear beautiful songs, an aspect of entertainment, but mixed with strong messages and moments that resonate. That’s what I respect about her. Since if you are shouting too much, people won’t listen. They back away. But she did it in a way that you would receive it, and hear it, but still be graced by her talent.”

• The performance is showing in London, 22-24 October