Face Forward
Stories for change.
Exactly ten years after his death, we celebrate the vibrant legacy of visionary Nelson Mandela, on the exact location where he once addressed Amsterdam. With a more than five-hour long festival programme full of talks, encounters, dance, music, ongoing film screenings, spoken word, visual art and the fourth edition of the ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture.
'This event is fast becoming a tradition, a meeting where artists and other creatives reflect on the big issues of our time, in a search for the meaning of Nelson Mandela's work for here, for now.'
- Mayor Femke Halsema, February 10, 2022
Run time 5 hours and 30 minutes
Genre Perspective
Language Dutch and English
FACE FORWARD - stories for change
This year's lecture will be delivered by three speakers, each of whom, in their own way, feel connected to and strongly support Mandela's ideals. The speakers are Marcus Desando (South Africa), Panashe Chigumadzi (Zimbabwe) and Jerry Afriyie (Netherlands/Ghana) and the festival will be presented by Ikenna Azuike.-|-
The main programme includes the lecture and performances by Soweto Skeleton Movers, Houda Bibouda, Sites of Memory and Ntjam Rosie. Face Forward will be opened by Amsterdam's Councillor of Culture Touria Meliani.
PARTICIPANTS
Speakers Marcus Tebogo Desando (Zuid-Afrika), Panashe Chigumadzi (Zimbabwe), Jerry Afriyie (Nederland/Ghana)
Host Ikenna Azuike
Opening speech Touria Meliani
Performers Ntjam Rosie, Sites of Memory, Soweto Skeleton Movers & Lloyd Marengo
Also participating patricia kaersenhout, Marja Vuijsje, Joumana El Zein Khoury, Bram Vermeulen, Afrovibes, Junior Mthombeni, Ernestine Comvalius, Bahram Sadeghi, Ms Aba, Zhina Noorian, Ntjam Rosie, Soweto Skeleton Movers, Farren van Wyk and many many others-|-
Films The State Against Mandela & The Others, A New Country (by Sifiso Khanyile)
Art installation Harmony of Love by Marian Genet
Books and art sales by Athenaeum bookshop and ZAM
Illustration Sindiso Nyoni
Face Forward – stories for change is an initiative of ZAM Magazine with support from the City of Amsterdam and the Nelson Mandela Foundation (Johannesburg)
Together with inspiring guests from the LGBTQIA+ community, we explore the themes behind the theatre experience. Two episodes per session — with a free drink during the break!
