Dramatising man’s fear for change
A scene in the dance performance At the End of the Tunnel. PHOTO by Abdul Abdanger Kinyenya
What you need to know:
“At the End of the Tunnel explores notions of change; changes that we look forward to, and changes that we fear. When change occurs, we have two choices as a response: we either despair or we look with excitement and anticipation at new possibilities that change represents. This is the journey of the tunnel, and it is up to us to look for light at the end of the tunnel,” Kenneth Desire Tereka, Yutta Konvictz Society director
By our very nature, we are always afraid of change in all its forms - either preferring to keep the status quo or for fear of the outcome or the unknown.
This human phenomenon is subject of dance performance At the End of the Tunnel by Yutta Konvictz Society that premiered on April 4, at the National Theatre in Kampala.
The journey in the tunnel begins with Rashida Namulondo (winner of the 2013 BN Poetry Award), who is pregnant, reciting a poem lamenting the pain of giving birth and the child in her womb.
One of the scenes shows a young lady (Rahma Naigaga) kneeling on a big heap of soil representing the pain a mother goes through after losing a child.
The three dancers (Peter Kafuluma, Ronnie Birungi and Hatra Hady) with their contemporary performance represent a fast-paced world - a moving world.
Soon, a dancer (Kenneth Desire Tereka) emerges from the heap of soil and slowly begins to dance using floor work movements signaling the last journey of life. His first journey is of an old person who tries to find a way in an already a non-existent path.
The dancer later becomes a child who is lost in confusion, looking for a way out of the fears and insecurities. The baby is sucking its finger and all he can do is lie and cry. The audience cannot distinguish whether the cries are of pain or joy. It even attempts to trace its footsteps back to its mother’s womb.
“I believe life is related to a tunnel, that is why I chose the title At the End of the Tunnel. There is a beginning and an end. When you begin the journey, you always look forward, but unfortunately, it comes with challenges,” the Yutta Konvictz Society director, Kenneth Desire Tereka, says.
The curtain raiser, a contemporary dance piece Twazagwaki (What crime did we commit?) by Oscar Ssenyonga accompanied by Mambya Dance Company highlights the plight of African voters who are left at the mercy of ruthless politicians.
The politicians promise heaven on earth, only to deliver hot air. The common man barely receives any services and is left to wallow deep into poverty and disease.
