SPAfrica

English

Winner of 'Most Impressive Direction of the Past Season’ for Julian Hetzel and Ntando Cele

SPAfrica is a performance about empathy and extractivism. The project examines how capitalism is intrinsically linked to racism.

Julian Hetzel and Ntando Cele join forces to explore the boundaries of empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. What if empathy does not dismantle or transform existing power structures but instead reinforces existing privileges? SPAfrica exposes the problematic dynamics and hidden racism inherent in empathy.

SPAfrica introduces a dual gesture involving the extraction of "liquid empathy." The project builds on the transactional flow of resources between Europe and Africa—water for tears and tears for water. On one hand, drinking water from Sub-Saharan Africa is imported into Europe: SPAfrica—the world’s first empathy drink. On the other, tears are harvested in the heart of Europe and transported back to the origin of the water in Africa. The project combines the exploitation of natural and emotional resources to reveal neoliberal strategies in the quest for alternative commodities.

With this new performance, Hetzel and Cele question how intangible assets such as identity and cultural background play a role in our capitalist society. In the international art world, the cultural background and identity of creators have become valuable assets. Is trauma the new gold of the arts?

From the Jury Report for the Theo d’Or Nomination for Most Impressive Leading Performance 

Ntando Cele’s performance is a masterful display of acting, combining both strength and vulnerability. Her portrayal in SPAfrica is imbued with remarkable authenticity. She succeeds in taking the audience on a journey through complex themes and personal struggles, bringing every nuance and layer of her character vividly to life.

Julian Hetzel
Julian Hetzel was born in the Black Forest and studied at Bauhaus University Weimar, focusing on visual communication. In 2013, he graduated from DasArts Amsterdam, an artistic research laboratory for new forms of theater and performance art. Hetzel is one of the founders of the electropop band Pentatones, with whom he performed until 2016. He now operates from Utrecht as a performance maker and visual artist. His works often have a political dimension and a documentary approach. His performance The Automated Sniper won the VSCD Mime Award in 2017. Other acclaimed works include All Inclusive (2018) and Mount Average (2021). In 2019, Hetzel showcased three works at the Venice Theater Biennale, and his performance installation Self was selected as the Dutch entry for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial.

Spoken in English with Dutch surtitles