Making Men

“Making Men is a magnificent, lively, profoundly modern piece that raises an especially important issue. Questioning masculinity is an essential subject and Dunia Dance Company has captured the essence. The choreography provides wonderful rhythm to the various stages of becoming a man.”
Flora Eveno - RTBF Culture

This project is a winner of the Africalia ECMS Call for Proposals 2018.

Exposé

Each performance is preceded by a short exposé on the theme of masculinity, to encourage a debate around this important issue in today’s society.

Film

An original film shot in Harare, Zimbabwe and Brussels, Belgium.

Performance

A live dance performance.

The work focusses on a group of individuals in the process of becoming men. Are they free to choose to do so in any way they deem appropriate, or are they forced into a mould? They proceed unquestioningly, as is expected, into manhood through various stages of their lives, adopting the clearly coded characteristics allowed by society.

However, a feeling of unease, in the very depths of their being, oppresses them. It’s as if they have donned ill-fitting garments made for someone else. They feel uncertainty and something else, harder to define…

They attempt to understand, question and express their doubts. They try to break free of invisible chains, to find their true selves. The choreography seeks to highlight the limits of the male stereotype for those who seek to experience the full range of human emotions.