21 November – 10:00am
La Boule Bleue – The Blue Ball
(Compagnie Ivoire Marionnettes, Cote d’Ivoire)
performed in French
22 November– 10:00am
Recuerda – Remember
(La Tartana Teatro, Spain)
performed in Spanish
23 November – 6:00pm
Le Chat Pèlerin – The Pilgrim Cat
(Compagnie Nama, Mali)
performed in French
In November 2024, the Centre for Humanities Research at UWC present Pro-Vocation: Roots and Wings, the 4th iteration of Pro-Vocation, in partnership with the UNIMA Professional Training Commission, the UNIMA Africa Commission, and UNIMA SA. The Pro-Vocation series are international conferences on puppetry training, organized by UNIMA’s Professional Training Commission since 2015.
This event, positioned on the African continent for the first time, is dedicated to exploring and celebrating the living traditions and contemporary innovations of African puppetry pedagogies. It emphasizes the innovative and critical aspects of puppetry training across Africa, focusing on continental priorities through African exchange and global perspectives.
Part of the conference will include performances and workshops at Theatre Arts in Observatory, Cape Town.
See more details below
21 November: La Boule Bleue – The Blue Ball (Compagnie Ivoire Marionnettes, Cote d’Ivoire)
One day a blue ball appears in infinite space, but it is very alone.
Then the creator created men of all colors who spread out around the blue ball. But they spoke a thousand different languages and tensions arose. Tired of all the bickering, the blue ball woke up and its eyes, ears, mouth and nose conspired together to give men a language by which they could understand each other. This language gave birth to excellence, the fruit of diversity and solidarity between men.
The Ivoire Marionnettes Company has existed since 2007, specializing in the manufacturing, training, manipulation and creation of puppet shows. Soro Badrissa is the Founder and Artistic Director, accompanied by Koro Souleymane and Goualy Rachelle. The Ivoire Marionnettes Company has won 2 medals at the Francophone Games in the Giant Puppets category: in Nice, France at the 7th Francophone Games with its show La Main qui Donne and again in 2013 and 2017 at the 8th Francophone Games with its show La Boule Bleu. In 2019, the Ivoire Marionnettes Company was awarded the 1st National Prize of Excellence for the Performing Arts by the President of the Republic of the State of Côte d’Ivoire. In September 2013, the Ivoire Marionnettes Company received the 1st prize in the NGO/UNESCO competition “Marionnettes commit to peace” on the occasion of the International Day of Peace organized in Charleville-Mézières in the North-East of France with the showTambour de l’Union.
22 November: Recuerda – Remember (La Tartana Teatro, Spain)
Remember is a puppet and actor show that tells us about life, memory and the passion for the puppeteer’s profession. Childhood, tours, the beginnings of the company, the teacher, the dream puppets that came to life, the present, love, loss, the passing of time and the need for creation are some of the chapters that the show explores. Juan Muñoz, accompanied by the technician on stage and surrounded by suitcases, will share with the public his most precious moments in this intimate and close show located in the elusive territory of memory: that non-place where reality and fiction mix, where the present and memories intertwine to build a moving and sincere story.
Winner of Best Animation Moment Award at the Warsaw Puppet Festival 2022
La Tartana Teatro is a puppet theatre company from Madrid founded by Juan Muñoz in 1977. It is characterised by its commitment to childhood, its constant evolution and the variety of techniques and languages used. Over the course of more than four decades, they have premiered more than 40 shows and have received countless awards. Their commitment is to continue investing in research in the world of puppetry, continuous work, dedication and creativity, commitments for which a stable work team is essential to allow all creative effort to be concentrated on the project.
23 November: Le Chat Pèlerin – The Pilgrim Cat (Compagnie Nama, Mali)
Two clans, that of the mice and that of the cats, have listened to the same voice of a prophet. Each’s interpretation of the prophet has led to accusations and constant quarreling. This quarrel between cat and mouse is a learning of oneself in the eyes of others in order to come to understand that one can look at the world differently without exposing oneself to a battle. Halfway between expressions in the Bambara language and sentences in French, between Western codes and those linked to traditional cultures in Mali, the creation engages in a “creolization” of the story: a confrontation of referents that unite or divide but end up bringing people together when we learn to listen to each other.
Created in Bamako (Mali) in 2010 under the leadership of puppeteer Yacouba Magassouba, Compagnie NAMA creates and brings to life several types of puppets, such as string puppets, inhabited masks, articulated puppets and giant puppets. Each of its creations transports the audience to the rhythms of traditional music, to the heart of a revisited tradition. Recipient in 2017 of the Bronze Medal in the discipline “Giant Puppets” at the Francophone Games in Côte d’Ivoire, Nama presents its shows in countries including Spain, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Canada and now South Africa.
