Afrovibes Festival brings the most outstanding pioneers and established performing talents from Africa to the Netherlands. The festival looks to the entire continent of Africa for inspiration, perspectives and bright visions. 

Image credit: © Cadiz en Danza & CMK1

Afrovibes Festival 2025: Legacy 

Afrovibes Festival presents dance, theatre and music from contemporary African artists. They explore current themes from their own perspectives, opening up new ways of looking at who we are and how we are connected. This year, the festival brings artists and their performances from South Africa, the Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Morocco, France and the African diaspora in the Netherlands. 

The theme of the festival is Legacy. How do African artists experience the current zeitgeist and their cultural heritage? What can we learn from the past about courage, ethics, and collective strength? What will we leave behind for future generations?

Let yourself be carried away by the artistic dance energy of two of South Africa's greatest choreographers in ZO!Mute. Or become mesmerised by Ubuntu "I am because you are" in the dance performance Izilo. Travel to South Africa with flickering images from the future, featuring the Cullinan diamond in the theatre performance Bling!, which explores the return of cultural heritage. Be inspired by African street dance styles such as Coupé-Décalé, Azonto, Ndomboló, Afrohouse and Krump, in the performance Black. These and more performances can be seen at Afrovibes Festival, in Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Haarlem.  

Photo: Bling © Nurith Wagner

Tickets

Tickets for the performances can be purchased at the theatres. For more information, view the complete programme on the Afrovibes website.

Afrovibes 2025 programme 

Below is an overview of the programme for each day. 

Bling! (South Africa)

The theatre performance Bling! delves into the history of the Cullinan diamond: excavated in South Africa, cut in Amsterdam, and ending up in the crown of the English royal family. This multimedia performance explores with imagination, satire and humour the return of a cultural heritage such as the Cullinan diamond. 

I AM (South Africa)

In the theatre performance I AM, Tandile Mbatsha takes you on a journey to his childhood in rural South Africa. As a child, he had to search for his queer identity and how to fit in with the community. I AM is a powerfully performed statement against transphobia and homophobia in Africa. 

Black (Ivory Coast)

Black is an energetic dance performance embodying the struggle for recognition, equality, and respect for Black people. Using urban street dance from Africa, such as Coupé-Décalé, Azonto, Ndomboló, Afrohouse and Krump, Oulouy depicts the history of the Black freedom movement.

ZO!Mute (South Africa)

ZO!Mute by two of South Africa's greatest choreographers, Gregory Maqoma and Vincent Mantsoe, showcases the spiritual and artistic power of South African dance.

Katanga January 17 (South Africa)

Who was he? What was his significance? Patrice Lumumba, Congo's first prime minister, is also regarded as the Congolese version of Nelson Mandela. In Katanga January 17, four actors from South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) investigate Lumumba's assassination and his influence on liberation movements in Africa.

Na Ná (Cape Verde)

In Na Ná, an exuberant solo performance with music, dance, theatre, and costumes, Djam Neguin conjures up a figure from Cape Verdean mythology that plays with masculinity.  

Untitled (Morocco, Germany)

An Arab-Andalusian poet, a director of a modern art museum, an African curator, and an artist attempt to set up an exhibition of modern art: this leads to negotiations, conflicts and hilarious moments in Untitled. 

EON the Mod (South Africa, France)

"Poetry for protest, dance for disorder." South African hip-hop veteran and wordsmith Iain Ewok Robinson and French machine wizard and composer Charles Amblard make you think about the world we live in. EON the Mod is characterised by lyrical thoughts with penetrating, groovy sounds.

Cash Cow (South Africa)

In an intriguing dance and theatre solo, Cash Cow exposes the way we often use sentient animals for our consumption. Sookool imagines herself as a cow waiting to be slaughtered.

Photo: Untitled 14km © Youness Atbane

Afrovibes dates and locations

The performances take place in the following venues:

Amsterdam

• Bijlmer Parktheater, October 2-3
• De Balie, October 4-5
• Frascati Theatre, October 9-11

Rotterdam

• Maaspodium, October 3-4
• Fenix, October 12

Utrecht

• Centraal Museum, October 4-5
• Theater Kikker, October 7-8
• Stadsschouwburg Utrecht: October 9-10

Haarlem

• Stadsschouwburg Haarlem, October 11

Book your tickets to Afrovibes

To see the entire list of up-to-date festival performances, browse the Afrovibes website.