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This post was originally meant to be posted a week after event, then life got away with me. This is how I felt at the time even though you are reading this months on.
The first time I saw a Barefeet performance was last year at Manda Hill during their Christmas performance of the Snow Queen. I had heard a lot about them, and they did not disappoint. So when I was give the opportunity to have access to them before and during their ROAR Festival, I jumped at the chance to find out more about what they do.
I was immediately enchanted. I met Bernard, Victor and Amos during my first visit to their Thorne Park premises, all of whom benefited from Barefeet as children, and as young men have chosen to pay it forward by training to mentor kids who are growing up as they did.
I then got previews of the acrobatic tricks they were to perform. You can see all of them on my YouTube Channel.
I then was kindly invited to the Barefeet Theatre ROAR launch at the Intercontinental. The highlight of the evening was the Children's Council performance: The Funeral that they would perform again at the Festival during the week. I happened to be dressed for the occassion in mostly black and was happy to be in attendance. Here in Zambia, we have allowed ourselves to fall into a terrible malaise. We mosey along, complacent about the daily inefficiencies, the lack of standards, and abuse thrown at us due to people no longer caring about the way they comport themselves personally or professionally. I am constantly taking umbrage with something or someone and feel like a crazy old lady as everyone around me seems to be completely unaffected. We have become so numb and unfeeling, accepting mediocrity as the norm. Which is why I was refreshed and invigorated by these young guns, daring to speak up and out about what is wrong with their country and tell us exactly what should be done about it. Here is what I tweeted as I was watching:
"I believe I can fly" youth performance addressing drug use, corruption, education, GBV #BarefeetTheatre #ROAR Launch pic.twitter.com/6UmLzOo44I
— Ngosa Chungu (@whoops_c) August 25, 2013
Glad @BarefeetTheatre using art to address discrimination against the disabled. Big issue in #Zambia. #BarefeetTheatre #ROAR Launch
— Ngosa Chungu (@whoops_c) August 25, 2013
YES! Kill #mediocrity. That's what #Zambia needs. Glad #Youth are at forefront of this message. #BarefeetTheatre #ROAR Launch performance
— Ngosa Chungu (@whoops_c) August 25, 2013
Attending the best funeral ever #BarefeetTheatre #ROAR Launch. Burying mediocrity and social ills! @BarefeetTheatre pic.twitter.com/13ne9tWaJo
— Ngosa Chungu (@whoops_c) August 25, 2013
Also got my first glimpse of Randy McClaren, the Dub and Reggae Poet from Jamaica, who was part of the cultural exchange element that Barefeet always include in their yearly Youth Arts Festivals. He really got me hooked on the idea of Creative Activism, a term I had not heard of, but really should have, as it encapsulates a professional goal in life. That is part of what Project Cascade is all about (over half the team was in attendance at Launch to show support). Video of him in Part 2.
The night then got picture (and) crazy. This is what I mean:
A great evening of #BarefeetTheatre with @whoops_c @mwanabibi @afrosocialite and @MsKkj #roar pic.twitter.com/9cucnSgmWX
— Lwanga Mwilu (@lwangamwilu) August 25, 2013
Lwanga claims she had the virgin punch and I believe her because I think this is what caused the wonky picture - a whole other kind of inebriation: punch drunk love he he he he (I couldn't help myself ;}):
Pompi!! *screams all over TL* @whoops_c @ThePompi @mwanabibi #BarefeetTheatre #Roar pic.twitter.com/V4xOVjycluPart 2 on the ROAR Festival is the Lioness Concert experience in video.
— Lwanga Mwilu (@lwangamwilu) August 25, 2013
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