In a performance hall at the French Institute of Burundi in Bujumbura, the performance entitled "Mango Kernel" surprised and amazed the spectators.
This Mapping-dance creation, presented as part of the Africa On MAppinf festival, the first festival dedicated to video mapping in Africa, combines body movements, light and technology to offer a unique experience.
“I was moved because the authors wanted to talk to us about themselves and their emotions, and I saw them here. The master with the dance was good, the dancer, the images, and the texts too; it was a whole, really,” explained Babou, a spectator.
After a few days of training, round tables, etc., the achievement of the Burundian artists' collective called Lumartis made a mark on the minds of great video-mapping artists like Albert Morisseau Leroy of Cameroonian-Haitian nationality.
"I don't know if we can put breathtaking words to it, I think it's a show that has just completely seized us in the heart and reminded us of ourselves, we don't need questions of identity in fact, there, the room was full, it was diverse and it just seized us and reminded us of the rightness of life, of humanity, of taking care of ourselves and that we can be good together," said Albert Morisseau Leroy, video mapper.
Video mapping is an art form that allows for expression on walls, a blend of dance, poetry, drumming, writing, and more. Fred Ebami, a Franco-Cameroonian digital visual artist and video mapper, encourages young Africans to embrace it: “My message to young artists is: be curious, believe in your dreams, try it. If it's scary, maybe that's where you need to be. If it's uncomfortable, maybe that's where you need to be. Video mapping today is uncomfortable for you. But tomorrow, it will be something logical, something commonplace. To convey your messages, to talk about the past, to tell your stories. Video mapping can be a gateway, perhaps, certainly,” he declared.
