Synopsis
"You, creators of your destiny,
careless about tomorrow.
You, unaware of the greatness of the nature.
You, men, already defeated against Mother Earth".
TS Eliot
There are still uncontaminated lands, a refuge for good souls, where beauty transforms into a bridge between heaven and earth and spirituality becomes tangible.
AFRICA, far from the vision of “waste land” by Eliot, comes from the four elements from which authentic matter comes to life, a place in which the entire existence is filled with joy. Here a fire burns, purifying and vivifying, which contains within itself the principle of existence, a river flows in the bowels of the earth and the air you breathe is vital energy.
The dream image that the choreographer uses to recreate the ideal of a perfect world is in contrast with the “waste or devastated land” described in Eliot's poem which recalls the current condition of our planet suffocated by carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, overwhelmed by the consumption of non-renewable resources and continually rising temperatures.
The hope of rain, of a newfound spirituality and of connection with nature represent the "rebirth horizons" of a better future in which man recognizes his role as guardian of nature and actively works to restore harmony between them .
Finally “Shanti”, the ineffable peace, another reference to Eliot's text. That the blessing, whispered by the dancers, is in a language so distant from Western tradition indicates that the solution is sought, but not achieved.
AFRICA represents a last chance of re-flowering for our agonizing planet and reminds us that the life of the Universe is a perpetual cycle that has to be respected.
