Paper short abstract:

In recent years contemporary dance in Africa has been fostered by Francophone patronage, yet choreographers have been critical of the postcolony. This contribution suggests that the creative process itself performs a radical critique of African governance and the global order.

Paper long abstract:

Contemporary dance in Africa has only recently become the focus of scholarly interest, even though choreographic experiments have long taken place throughout the cities of the continent. Since the early 1990s, new dance forms have emerged, which build on previous experiments while commenting more explicitly on the post-colonial predicament, and making more explicit reference to urban imaginaries as a subject matter. Paradoxically, these experiments have been largely fostered by French- and EU patronage through the funding of choreographic centres and the organization of a contemporary dance biennale in Africa. But what kind of critique do African contemporary choreographers offer, and to whom? And what visions of African futures do they project? How do choreographers deal with the paradox inherent in the fact that they wish to critique the very structures that support them?

Drawing on long-term fieldwork with Senegal-based dance people, participation in the African dance biennale in Johannesburg in 2012, and on the work of several choreographers across the continent, this contribution suggests that the creative process itself may perform a radical critique of both African governance and the global order.