Wasted Land

“Wasted Land” imagines an apocalyptic scenario at the end of all disasters and all woke discourses. In a poetical choric and musical multimedia performance of biting irony and absurd humour, Ntando Cele raises the question of possible survival strategies, explicitly from her experience as a Black woman in Western Europe.

Taking the fast fashion industry and its insane production processes as an example, “Wasted Land” is set in a near, dystopic future: in a world that is equally afflicted by climate change as by various forms of oppression and racism. In a society paralysed between “feel good”-ecology and mountains of clothing that have turned into toxic waste, “Wasted Land” tries out a de-centred gaze, a shift from the perspective of a female artist from South Africa. With this dystopian vision, Ntando Cele invites us to think about the potential for a true social transformation. “Wasted Land” draws on indigenous knowledge with the aim of challenging preconceived notions and including untapped sources in a search for potential solutions. The piece is a solo performance which uses an a cappella choir and electronic music to provoke an unconventional analysis.

“‘Wasted Land’” is a way of untangling my perception and my understanding of the climate crisis, and to ask what it triggers in me as a colonialized body living with the generational consequences of inequality. Since Black and Brown people are still excluded from the dominant debate about the future of humankind, what would the future be like without them? What if societies were to acknowledge and accept a true social transformation where all forms of injustice were immediately amended? I respond to the desperation and the defeatism towards catastrophes that so often goes hand in hand with ecological discourse with a little bit of sarcastic humour and humility.” Ntando Cele

Ntando Cele was born in Durban, South Africa, and lives in Bern. She studied theatre in Durban and Amsterdam. Her performances often counter everyday racism with humour and a radical attitude; they play on the boundaries between theatre, video installation, concert and performance. Her most recent work at Residenz was “SPAfrica”, which she produced together with Julian Hetzel. For her performance "SPAfrica”, she received the 2023 Swiss Culture Award for Performing Art.