If there is a work that brings to the surface both the triumph of the personal, or the continued fight of a collective identity, its this one. Tales Of An Afronaut so perfectly paints an uncomfortable truth, a reality that we either except or choose to ignore.
There is a rhythmic energy to the deliverance of words that are wondrously constructed, sharp and poiant reflections on a theme, they rain down on the audience like spit fire. Gracefully eloquent, precise and to the point, this performance doesn’t mess around, drawing parallels between communities both in Australia and abroad.
Black deaths in custody are unfortunately a dark and unsettling reality of which future generations will hopefully reflect upon. We need only look as far as the injustice served upon those youth in Don Dale Detention Centre to understand this reality. Tales Of An Afronaut could be seen as a study into the very essence of powerful and politically charged work and the way in which art delivers upon creating a positive discourse.
Presented at Arts House, the performance is set in the round within a small upstairs space, the sense of intimacy afforded here really heightens the whole experience. The narrative structured around a series of interconnected vignettes with Wani’s emotive verse and the use of projection and sound giving a greater scope and depth of field. The work however could have gone deeper and there are some scenes where the juxtaposition between images could have been further developed. The raw and unpolished qualities are not without their benefit, indeed much of this performances honesty comes from this place.
Autobiographical works of this nature not only provide the artist a way in which they can share their personal stories, but also in-turn they provide audiences with an insight into a culture or community they sit outside of. The question remains of how far reaching this, or for that matter, any performance within the same genre actually is. Because this is a great piece of theatre an you want to believe it will make an impact. The thought that things such as racism and classism still exist in 2017 is a deeply unsettling thought, and is a reality that we must all come together to combat regardless of who we are, or where we come from.
Perhaps this review looks to deeply at the performance and misses the mark completely, as a non person of colour, these observations are only my own. So see it for yourself this week at Arts House and draw your own conclusions.
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