Tate Modern joins forces with 14–18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, to commemorate the significant contribution of African men and women in this conflict
The world premiere of this major new work is performed against the dramatic backdrop of Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. William Kentridge’s latest project combines music, dance, film projections, mechanised sculptures and shadow play to create an imaginative landscape on an epic scale. It tells the untold story of the hundreds of thousands of African porters and carriers who served in British, French and German forces during the First World War.
One of South Africa’s leading composers, Philip Miller, and musical director Thuthuka Sibisi create an original score that draws on a wide range of traditions. Orchestra collective The Knights perform along with an international cast of singers, dancers and performers, many of whom are based in South Africa.
The KT Wong Foundation has collaborated with William Kentridge on a number of projects including Lulu, a co-oproduction between the ENO and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
The Daily Telegraph reviewed the production as ‘A superb staging of a difficult modern masterpiece, performed with high musical distinction.’
William Kentridge also features in our book – Africa Modern: creating the contemporary art of a continent. The brainchild of Thomas Heatherwick, visionary British architect, and Lady Linda Wong Davies, chairwoman of the KT Wong Foundation, the book is a celebration of the creative wave sweeping Africa, with a generation of artistic talent rising to prominence across the continent and internationally.