HISTORIAN DAVID OLUSOGA MEETS THE CREATIVES TELLING UNTOLD STORIES OF AFRICA AND WAR

By the end of the First World War, over 100 countries were involved in combat. From the Caribbean to East Africa, USA to India, our 2018 season brings some of the cultures and identities whose wartime stories have often gone unheard.

Historian David Olusoga met William Kentridge (The Head & the Load), John Akomfrah (Mimesis: African Soldier) and the cast and creatives behind SS Mendi Dancing the Death Drill to bring to light the untold stories of Africa and War.

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ABOUT THE COMMISSIONS INVOLVED

William Kentridge told the story of the millions of African porters and carriers who were involved in the First World War.

Drawing on every aspect of his practice, The Head & the Load had its world premiere in Tate Modern’s iconic Turbine Hall to a sold-out audience.

John Akomfrah’s Mimesis: African Soldier is free to visit at Imperial War Museum London until March 2019.

This multi-screen installation combines archival sources with newly filmed material to commemorate and celebrate the African men and women whose suffering has been neglected for too long.

In 1917, a total of 823 South African men boarded the ship to aid the British war effort; a month later, more than 600 of them drowned after a collision.

SS Mendi Dancing the Death Drill, performed by South Africa’s award-winning Isango Ensemble, told this little-known story. The production will return to Royal Opera House, London in 2019. Find out more.