Overview
Conceived from an original idea by writer and historian Tariq Ali, the production brings together words, music and movement in a world premiere connecting two living histories of persecution and resistance: life under apartheid in South Africa and under occupation in Palestine. The former shaped the lives and experiences of Cape Town’s internationally acclaimed Isango Ensemble, and the latter is ongoing, as experienced today by writer and Gaza resident Sondos Sabra, author of Voices of Resistance: Diaries of Genocide.
Extracts from Sabra’s extraordinary Gaza diaries form the backbone of the production, bringing an intimate, first-hand account of daily life amid violence, displacement and profound uncertainty to the stage.
AGAIN places these words in conversation with Isango Ensemble’s own history and distinctive theatrical language, drawing on music, movement and storytelling to explore how people continue to create, remember and bear witness in circumstances designed to silence them.
At once deeply personal and resonant across generations, AGAIN documents life in the shadow of unimaginable trauma while insisting on the humanity that persists within it. It is a work about persecution and survival, but also about the enduring presence of hope: the ways people continue to love, make art, build solidarity and find connection, even in the darkest of places.
AGAIN was created for Qatar Museums by director Mark Dornford-May and Isango Ensemble, with assistant director Max Roberts and choreographer Lungelo Ngamlana. The production marks Isango Ensemble’s first appearance in the Gulf region.
