Afrovibes: Katanga, 17 January

Name: This performance explores the murders of the first prime minister of the current Democratic Republic of Congo and his associates and his influence on the DRC.
Start: 2025-10-11T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Frascati, Amsterdam

Bobby Rodwell (ZA) & Ernest Baleni (ZA)

Sat 11 Oct ’25 20:00

This performance explores the murders of the first prime minister of the current Democratic Republic of Congo and his associates and his influence on the DRC.

Sat 11 Oct ’25

20:00

Sat 11 Oct ’25

20:00

Frascati, Amsterdam

Frascati 1

Tickets

Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is also considered the Congolese version of Nelson Mandela. With his associates, he was assassinated, presumably on 17 January 1961. This happened in Katanga, a renegade province in the DRC.

With an exchange of stories, the theatre performance Katanga, 17 January explores these murders and Lumumba's influence on today's Democratic Republic of Congo. Based on the lives of Lumumba and his comrades Joseph Okito and Maurice Mpolo, four performers examine the ongoing conflict in Congo. In doing so, they reflect on colonialism, African solidarity, independence, decolonisation and the struggle for Africa's resources.

The stories are based on archival research, interviews with Lumumba's children, a grandchild of his collaborator and a former child soldier, and on the famous independence speech and letter Lumumba wrote to his wife in captivity. Katanga, 17 January thus honours African artistic collaboration, story exchange and Africa's liberation heritage.

Duration: 70 mins.
Language: English
Note: the stories of murder, colonisation and the struggle for riches can be intense for those with personal experience around it

Part of

Afrovibes Festival 2025

Credits

text & concept Bobby Rodwell director Ernest Baleni performers Billy Langa, Khutju Green, Thabo Malema Lumumba and Michael Disanka design Sne Zwane light Spider Mothetho stagemanager Labeisa Molapo

About the makers

Bobby Rodwell works as a producer and writer in theatre, documentary film and radio focusing. After hearing stories of survivors of human rights violations, she uses those personal testimonies now in theatre for social change on socio-political issue across the continent.

Also, she is a funder and a director of the company mehlo-maya (eye-to-the-sun). Bobby studied Theatre, Social Anthropology and African History.

Using this approach Bobby has created The Story I am About to Tell on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission where three people told their stories. Also, she made Frontieres which gave space for personal testimonies on migration into South Africa. In her performance Flipping the Script survivors told about their experiences with gender-based violence.

Ernest Baleni has worked on numerous theater productions as a performing artist, choreographer and (movement) director. He works with movements of the body which bring a story subtly and boldly to the truth. That shows how we are affected by events and discoveries, how we react to them or how we avoid them. The body asks questions and the body longs for answers.

He has a bachelor's degree in applied drama and theater arts in education and a postgraduate degree in art. He also trained with the Vuyani Dance Theater. Now he works as a part-time dance teacher at Moving into Dance Mophatong and at the National Children's Theatre. Baleni contributes to several community arts projects as a movement workshop facilitator. He performs locally and internationally in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.