Kenyan dance troupe expresses powerful message in their art
A Ballet of the Differently Abled
A Ballet of the Differently Abled
Paul Mabwa (l) and Stephen Odango
are the principle dancers for the
Uwezo Mix Dance Group from Nairobi,
Kenya.
are the principle dancers for the
Uwezo Mix Dance Group from Nairobi,
Kenya.
with disabilities to forget about their disabilities and to do everything as anyone else. God has given us minds and our senses. We need to use all of
the senses that God has given us to do things that are going to empower who you are. Instead of sitting back and waiting for an assistant, we can do
for ourselves. For example, when people look at the way Paul dances and when people look at me when I dance and when we are on the stage,
there are some things that Adam [who is abled] cannot do and we can do. There is no one who can do everything. When we performed, people said
‘We are looking down on these people and yet, they so many ways they can dance.’ It’s very nice to see the way the body moves. It creates a very
nice picture.”
Both Mabwa and Odongo have struggled to be as abled as possible and to have others perceive them that way as well. “When I was in school,
I first went to the special school for people with disabilities,” Mabwa said. “When I came outside, it was so hard. They were teaching us how to be
disabled and not how to make it in the world. People with disabilities need to go to school with other students.”
As one listens to Odongo, one can’t help but notice his inner beauty and strength that has allowed him to leave any sense of bitterness behind
and to live his life the way that he so chooses. “When people see me with my wife — she is abled — and my children are calling ‘Dad please look at
this,’ people say ‘Is this the dad of those children,’” Odongo said. “They are surprised, but my wife loves me very much. Inside is what matters
because when it is inside you and comes out and people see it, they say ‘Wow.’ People with disabilities should come out, whether it is political,
work or education. People should come out and fight for their own rights.”
While one may be amazed at the movements of Mabwa and Odongo, one must always remember that it is art that they perform. “Dance is about
movement,” Odongo said. “Dance is expression. So when we dance, there is some message that we are trying to send to the audience. You can’t
just say that I am dancing. Our message isn’t oral; it’s through body movements of contemporary dance. We can have a subject. From that subject,
we put in the body movement and see how we are going to improvise and come up with the dance.”
The dance that they performed in Madison, Watu Naziatu, had a special meaning for Mabwa and Odongo. It expressed their feelings about the
recent political turmoil in Kenya after fighting along tribal lines broke out after the presidential election. While the differently abled were not
specifically targeted, they were inordinately the victims because of their lack of mobility to escape the violence on the streets.
“When we came out with this dance, it expressed what was happening not only to the disabled, but to others as well. People were being pulled
from their houses and killed. You couldn’t travel by bus because they would put a roadblock on the road and had people get out of the bus so they
could see their identification. They could tell which tribe you were from by your name. If you were from the wrong tribe, they would drag you out and
kill you.”
In the end, the message of Watu Naziatu was universal. “We wanted to tell people that we should not be fighting over power,” Odongo said.
“Fighting results in people losing their lives and destruction. It makes us fall behind economically. It is the common people who are harmed because
they have no protection. Even now, there are internally displaced people in Kenya. Imagine living in your homeland and you don’t have a place to
stay. So we are trying to tell people that this is not the way to solve problems. We need to talk. We need to solve our problems peacefully. When I see
the election in America, I like it because after Obama won, he and McCain came together. That is a lesson we should be learning. The same is true in
Ghana. People should be coming together and not fighting over the power.”
There is a message in the dance of Uwezo Mix for all of us.
the senses that God has given us to do things that are going to empower who you are. Instead of sitting back and waiting for an assistant, we can do
for ourselves. For example, when people look at the way Paul dances and when people look at me when I dance and when we are on the stage,
there are some things that Adam [who is abled] cannot do and we can do. There is no one who can do everything. When we performed, people said
‘We are looking down on these people and yet, they so many ways they can dance.’ It’s very nice to see the way the body moves. It creates a very
nice picture.”
Both Mabwa and Odongo have struggled to be as abled as possible and to have others perceive them that way as well. “When I was in school,
I first went to the special school for people with disabilities,” Mabwa said. “When I came outside, it was so hard. They were teaching us how to be
disabled and not how to make it in the world. People with disabilities need to go to school with other students.”
As one listens to Odongo, one can’t help but notice his inner beauty and strength that has allowed him to leave any sense of bitterness behind
and to live his life the way that he so chooses. “When people see me with my wife — she is abled — and my children are calling ‘Dad please look at
this,’ people say ‘Is this the dad of those children,’” Odongo said. “They are surprised, but my wife loves me very much. Inside is what matters
because when it is inside you and comes out and people see it, they say ‘Wow.’ People with disabilities should come out, whether it is political,
work or education. People should come out and fight for their own rights.”
While one may be amazed at the movements of Mabwa and Odongo, one must always remember that it is art that they perform. “Dance is about
movement,” Odongo said. “Dance is expression. So when we dance, there is some message that we are trying to send to the audience. You can’t
just say that I am dancing. Our message isn’t oral; it’s through body movements of contemporary dance. We can have a subject. From that subject,
we put in the body movement and see how we are going to improvise and come up with the dance.”
The dance that they performed in Madison, Watu Naziatu, had a special meaning for Mabwa and Odongo. It expressed their feelings about the
recent political turmoil in Kenya after fighting along tribal lines broke out after the presidential election. While the differently abled were not
specifically targeted, they were inordinately the victims because of their lack of mobility to escape the violence on the streets.
“When we came out with this dance, it expressed what was happening not only to the disabled, but to others as well. People were being pulled
from their houses and killed. You couldn’t travel by bus because they would put a roadblock on the road and had people get out of the bus so they
could see their identification. They could tell which tribe you were from by your name. If you were from the wrong tribe, they would drag you out and
kill you.”
In the end, the message of Watu Naziatu was universal. “We wanted to tell people that we should not be fighting over power,” Odongo said.
“Fighting results in people losing their lives and destruction. It makes us fall behind economically. It is the common people who are harmed because
they have no protection. Even now, there are internally displaced people in Kenya. Imagine living in your homeland and you don’t have a place to
stay. So we are trying to tell people that this is not the way to solve problems. We need to talk. We need to solve our problems peacefully. When I see
the election in America, I like it because after Obama won, he and McCain came together. That is a lesson we should be learning. The same is true in
Ghana. People should be coming together and not fighting over the power.”
There is a message in the dance of Uwezo Mix for all of us.
By Jonathan Gramling
Part 2 of 2
The Uwezo Mix — which means able mix in Swahili — Dance Troupe of
Kenya performed at the World Dance Assembly, which was held in Madison in
June. Peggy Choy, an assistant professor of dance and Asian American studies
at the University of Wisconsin, arranged for me to interview two of the members
who are differently abled, Paul Mabwa and Stephen Odongo, and to see them
perform at Neighborhood House.
Without the props or the music, what was revealed was the pure power
and grace of their performance. It was at once acrobatic, graceful and very
moving. Without a word or a song, it told me of the challenges of being
differently abled in Kenya where they are from. While I had entered our session
Part 2 of 2
The Uwezo Mix — which means able mix in Swahili — Dance Troupe of
Kenya performed at the World Dance Assembly, which was held in Madison in
June. Peggy Choy, an assistant professor of dance and Asian American studies
at the University of Wisconsin, arranged for me to interview two of the members
who are differently abled, Paul Mabwa and Stephen Odongo, and to see them
perform at Neighborhood House.
Without the props or the music, what was revealed was the pure power
and grace of their performance. It was at once acrobatic, graceful and very
moving. Without a word or a song, it told me of the challenges of being
differently abled in Kenya where they are from. While I had entered our session
totally cognizant of their physical infirmities, that awareness melted away as I watched in wonder and took photo after
photo. Their performance touched me, which is what all good art does.
Mabwa and Odongo’s performances have been an inspiration to the differently abled and others in Africa. Odongo
recalled one performance in South Africa. “I believe that nothing is impossible,” Odongo said. “I just encourage people
photo. Their performance touched me, which is what all good art does.
Mabwa and Odongo’s performances have been an inspiration to the differently abled and others in Africa. Odongo
recalled one performance in South Africa. “I believe that nothing is impossible,” Odongo said. “I just encourage people