Dear Museum!
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| 16 EUR / 8 EUR reduced |
| English, Tshwana, Xhosa, Zulu with German subtitles |
| 16 years and older |
| Ground Floor, Hall 2 |
Which kind of life and souls are attached to Museum Entities? Is anyone buried in the display cases? And how might they speak to us ? DEAR MUSEUM! is a commission of Humboldt Forum by Albert Ibokwe Khoza in collaboration with African Entertainers. It is a love letter and farewell letter to ethnological museum practice, which relates its presentation system to what remains unsaid.
Following the provocative performance of THE BLACK CIRCUS OF THE REPUBLIC OF BANTU as part of Transkontinentale Festival 2024, Khoza is developing this world premiere especially for the Humboldt Forum.
Participants
The South African internationally acclaimed interdisciplinary performance artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza continually reveals and projects the state of mind of a solitary figure – a non-binary, womanly man and a sangoma (traditional healer). Through explorations of sexuality and ancestral practice, they move fluidly across artistic mediums to interrogate social ills and articulate what their divergent nature perceives and interprets
about the world we inhabit. Their work critically questions surroundings, leadership, and life itself.
Khoza is a multi-award-winning artist, including receiving the 2023 Bessie Award for And So You See … Our Honorable Blue Sky and Ever Enduring Sun … Can Only Be Consumed Slice by Slice … (a collaboration with Robyn Orlin). Their body of work includes The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, which toured internationally across the USA, South America, and Europe, as well as The Red Femicycle and Influence of a Closet Chant, further affirming their distinct voice within contemporary performance.
Julia Burnham began dancing at a young age in Alexandra Township, training in both modern and traditional dance before joining Moving Into Dance Mophatong (MIDM), where she became a full-time company member. She has toured internationally with Robyn Orlin’s works and performed at major global platforms including the 2010 FIFA World Cup Concert alongside artists such as Shakira and Hugh Masekela. A former senior member of Vuyani Dance Theatre, she worked closely with Gregory Maqoma and Luyanda Sidiya, while also choreographing her own acclaimed works including
Something Black and Yellow, Noted: A Note to Self, Matlou, Knots and Codes, and Fetch (later developed into a short film). Her collaborations extend to Via Katlehong, international residencies such as the American Dance Festival at Duke University, and interdisciplinary projects including virtual reality performance. Now an independent choreographer and mentor, Julia leads her movement initiative “Starting the Conversation – Healing Through Movement” and continues creating for stage and commercial platforms.
Princess Mhlongo is an award-winning South African director and film producer, and the Managing Director of African Entertainers, a production and artist management company dedicated to positioning African work on the global stage.
Recognised as Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Theatre (2012), she established herself as a leading theatre director before transitioning into film production. Her producing credits include Inkabi The Hitman (Netflix/NFVF), which screened internationally at the Kenya Film Festival and BRICS Film Festival (Moscow), won Best African Film at the Barcelona Indie Awards (2025), and received multiple South African award nominations and wins. She collaborated with Albert Ibokwe Khoza on The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, which toured internationally across the USA, South America, and Europe. Internationally, she has participated in the Salzburg Young Directors Project, Theatreformen Festival (Germany), and Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics (2020–22), where her work expanded onto global platforms.
nqobile natasia (affectionately known as Rick) is a multidisciplinary arts practitioner and cultural worker, specialising in a number of design mediums, production management and Coordination, as well as working in communications and publicity within the visual arts and commercial sector. Rick’s practical experience ranges from stage hand in their earlier university years, to design and stage management and film set, and costume since then. Working with directors such as Kamogelo Molobye, Gavin Matthys, Neka DaCosta and VR Theatrical production company, as well as Norman Maake and African Entertainers production company.
Rick uses their broad experience from their participation at The Centre for the Less Good Idea where they sharpened their skills in the wide world puppetry and its design, as well as technical skills in projection mapping and stop motion film making. Working with African Entertainers’ producer, Princess Mhlongo, on a range of productions from visual arts-live performance film, and theatre set and costume design, Rick practices the scenographic art of world building; the ability to create something, a place, a path, that mimics, alters, and distorts the way we’ve come to understand reality. Through maximalism and (afro)surrealism they redefine the aesthetics of the world they know and the world they were and still are building, harnessing the range of their work in operations and publicity management for both the cultural and commercial sector, they have begun to implement modes of extending this world to the digital.
Born and raised in Soweto, Sandile is a filmmaker with a rich background in content creation and short-form branded storytelling. As the co-founder of Bushkoppies Agency, a cutting-edge creative agency based in Johannesburg, his team is pioneering a bold intersection between sports and culture in the
marketing landscape. His passion lies in youth-driven cultural movements, and he is committed to preserving the stories of South Africa’s ongoing cultural renaissance for future generations. With a deep rooted belief in the power of storytelling, Sandile sees these narratives as pivotal to shaping the future. Having honed his craft as an editor at The Post Office, a leading post-production company, Sandile brings a sharp, cinematic lens to the audio-visual space. His
distinct perspective on South African culture is poised to showcase the country’s rich heritage and creativity on the global stage.
Noluthando “Thando” Lobese is a Johannesburg-based costume and production designer with a background in fashion. Mentored by award-winning designer
Nadya Cohen, she contributed to numerous productions at the Market Theatre before further refining her craft at Stockholm Stadsteater in Sweden under Charlie Koroly. Her work has been showcased internationally across Europe and the United States, earning her awards and nominations for excellence in design.
Thando received a SAFTA in 2022 for her production design on Diep City and was nominated for Black Door. Her practice extends into visual arts, where she explores sustainable design through recycled materials, continually pushing creative boundaries across stage and screen.
Yogin Sullaphen is a South African multi-instrumentalist, live music performer, composer, and producer working across theatre, dance, film, and performance art. A graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, he has received multiple Naledi Theatre Award nominations for composition and sound design for Jungfrau and Strange Land, directed by Jade Bowers and Gabo Legwala, in collaboration with Modise Sekgothe. He is currently touring Genesis, a new work by Gregory Maqoma, and has toured extensively with Robyn Orlin on projects presented with Moving into Dance Mophatong and Garage Dance Ensemble. His practice also includes co-producing the Zebras Crossing Collective. With the live looping duo uKhoiKhoi, he has performed at Fête de la Musique (Johannesburg) and Sauti za Busara (Zanzibar), and has appeared at the National Arts Festival with Modise Sekgothe, Kieron Jina, and Marc Gabriel.
Nkululeko Mazibuko is a seasoned South African lighting designer and technical specialist, currently serving as Head of Lighting at the Soweto Theatre in Johannesburg, where he has been part of the team since its opening in 2012. After studying business at the University of Johannesburg, he
discovered his passion for theatre through performance before transitioning into backstage technology and lighting. He trained at the Market Theatre,
completed an internship in lighting design, and went on to freelance nationally across festivals and productions. Mazibuko has participated in international
exchanges, including Stockholm’s Stadsteatern in Sweden, and professional platforms such as Crossings. His lighting credits include works by Thabo Rapoo, Kieron Jina, Swazi Dlamini, Ofentse Mothusi, Jenifer Irons, Podium Comedy Merchants, and Miss Soweto.
Miranda Mogodla is a seasoned stage manager and production coordinator based in Johannesburg, with experience spanning theatre, music, and live events. Her production credits include Paradise Fall (Ntsieng Mokgoro – Olive Tree Productions), Dick or Date (Momo Matsunyane Productions), Take Me to Town (Blank Page Productions), Julius (Tick Tock Productions), and Red Femicycle (African Entertainers). Miranda has also worked on The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu, touring with the production internationally and further expanding her expertise on the global stage. She has collaborated with platforms such as The Plat4orm and Music in Africa, and previously served as Production Manager at Olive Theatre. In addition to her collaborative projects, Miranda continues to produce independent works, creating spaces where performance and purpose meet.
Thabo Pule ist ein südafrikanischer Techniker mit Spezialisierung auf Licht- und Tondesign, Bühnenleitung und Produktion. Er absolvierte seine Ausbildung an der „The Dance Factory“ in Newtown und war anschließend als leitender Techniker tätig, wobei er mit führenden lokalen und internationalen Ensembles zusammenarbeitete, darunter Robyn Orlins „City Theatre & Dance Group“. Mit über einem Jahrzehnt Erfahrung auf Tourneen in ganz Europa und anderen Teilen der Welt hat Thabo die Licht- und Tontechnik für zahlreiche gefeierte Produktionen und Festivals gestaltet. Seine umfangreiche Arbeit in den Bereichen Theater, Tanz und Live-Performance hat ihn sowohl in Südafrika als auch international als gefragten technischen Kreativen etabliert.
Übersetzt mit DeepL.com (kostenlose Version)
Dear Museum! is a commissioned work by the Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss in cooperation with African Entertainers.