Inspired by the incredible fate of Yasuke Kurosan, an enslaved African man (originally from present-day Mozambique) who became the only black samurai in Japanese history, choreographer Smaïl Kanouté explores the sensitive and aesthetic encounter between Africa and Asia through the idea of merging of identities as artistic forms.

Drawing on martial arts, African warrior dances and urban dances, Kanouté has created a hybrid dance performed by culturally mixed performers. Through their bodies and their voices, it pays homage to bushido, the samurai code of honour, telling us the story of the metamorphosis of oppressed bodies into proud and uplifted ones. Between heritage, appropriation and self-creation, the choreographer paves the way for our identities to become.

We witness the recreation of a present from an unknown or imagined past, in light of the Afro-futurist movement.

«Yasuke Kurosan» is the second piece of a triptych questioning the Black community’s condition in different times and locations, and to a large degree dealing with the impact of colonialism and the persistence of ancestral rites as an affirmation of identity. «Never Twenty One – a tribute to young victims of firearms», and «So Ava– a re-interpretation of voodoo dances», are the first and third pieces. Each project develops into a short-film and a full choreographic performance.

The short film that came out of this project, «Yasuke Kurosan» by Smaïl Kanouté and Abdou Diouri (2020), 15′, will be on loop from 15:00 to 17:00 in Auditorium 3 with free admission.

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