You’ll never believe what happened is always a great way to start. There’s a story I know. It’s about di earth and how it floats in space on di back of a turtle en, dreams of (mo than) a circle of dadas in solidarity, calling out/co-creating en grounding yemoja pan Afreekan healing arts institute in villages en cities all ova di continent en in di diaspora (of righteousness).
There’s a hadithi I know bout di goddess that metamorphosed pan Afrikan performing arts institute from d’bi young.anitafrika theatre en creative writing for healing en self recovery workshops running out of she own house, cooking magic from communal pots en sharing love life en di struggle stories with many other god/desse/s, dis hadithi bout all di Bredrin en sistren co-creating word! Sound! En di powah! Of dis revolushun of (big) upendo
Na kuna hadithi najua bout proposals to establish moyo ya YEMOYA healing arts [ in Kenya. Lakini kwa sasa…..]
Pan Afrikan healing arts is a cultural house that combines arts training with wellness practices for the holistic development of afrika and her diasporathrough the use of self-knowledge, orality,rhythm, political content and context, language, urgency, sacredness and integrity; eight principles in the sorplusi methodology of biomyth theatre, originated by d’bi.young.
YEMOYA is accepting applications from artists living in Afrika who are interested in participating in our artist residency programs. programs run as month-long intensives from march to december each year. on average, there are 20 hours of in-class instruction per week and another 20 hours of outdoor instruction including field-trips, outings and personal development assignments in the vibrant mother city of cape town south afrika. artists-in-residence are expected to be available for the entire course.
the fee for the training program varies and is decided upon on an individual basis; ultimately m
oving towards a tuition-free model. fee covers your creative materials, course packet, text books, and a workshop production staging of your biomyth monodrama. please note, your fee does not cover flights, accommodation, transportation or subsistence while in cape town south afrika. we are however developing the YEMOYA house as an affordable accomodation option for resident artists.
the artist residency program is aimed at holistically developing cross-generational storytellers, through the use of the sorplusi method; resulting in the creation and performance of new biomyth monodramas or other artistic production to be determined by the artist resident in conjunction with their mentor. the program offers comprehensive training in biomyth storytelling; preparing the participant for successful integration and leadership in their arts communities.
biomyth is an abbreviation of the words biography and mythology. d’bi.young first encountered the term reading audre lorde’s zami, which lorde refers to as a biomythography. in young’s own interpretation of the term biomyth, biography pertains to the accounting of one’s own lived experience; mythology pertains to 1. the poetic reinterpretation of the lived experience and 2. the use of folklore, myth, and magic in the process of reinterpretation. biography-mythology or biomyth therefore, is the poetic grey space between what we interpret as real and what we deem make-believe. monodrama is theatrical solo-performance work.
biomyth monodrama is a mythologized auto-biographical play told by the story’s creator/performer, using sorplusi method to weave the story together. poetry, music, magic/ritual, monologue and dialogue (primarily with the audience) are bi-products of the sorplusi method and are crucial stylistic, aesthetic and technical considerations. a western theatrical fourth wall is rarely present as the performer erases the divide between audience and storyteller, real and make-believe; the stoyteller-audience relationship is crucial in biomyth monodrama storytelling; encouraging the biomythicist to constantly explore and expand the relationship with themselves, their communities, and their belief and practice in art as a tool for social transformation………
we are extremely excited about your interest in attending YEMOYA. you will be learning alongside south afrikans, people from other parts of afrika, as well as other diapora artists. this experience promises to be a life-changing one. please do contact us with further questions regarding the program and being in south afrika, and anything else which may arise. we look forward to working with you at YEMOYA……
Now imagine also
attending YEMOYA in Kilifi, Malindi or Dar-es-Salaam in a cottage next to di Indian ocean, in growing learning villages of beautiful honourable people. Kwanini? wahenga walisema the future belongs to those who prepare for it today…….
…When we will, we are involved in the action of setting into motion functions of the spirit or the body, from the level of the self. Actions that are set into motion from the level of the person are acts of desiring, wishing, hoping, etc.
The fundamental difference is that the will originates from the self which is unswayed by emotions and sensuousness, while desiring is influenced en dictated by them. This is cleverly embedded in di Ausarian hadithi.
Auset mates with di deceased Ausar, and conceives Heru. Het-Heru carries him in her womb, en gives birth to him. it is a grand metaphor for di union through trance of one`s identity with di indwelling self (Auset mates with Ausar), en the empowerment of dis identity through di spiritual powah intensification rituals in Het-Heru, which gives birth to (di personal will) Heru…..Dis is wot heaven is made of, hadithi like these make me so happy en inspire en positively transform we so.
Hadithi? Hadithi? Hadithi njoo, Uongo njoo, Utamu kolea….what’s next Britannia zimeisha?
Molisa wa NyaKale 