Ditsala frames art as a lens on black identity, diaspora struggle
Laone Choeunyane | Monday March 16, 2026 09:09
Through music, dance, spoken word and live painting, the New Moon Ensemble crafted a performance that confronted questions of black identity, memory and resistance across the African continent and its diaspora. Bringing together artists from Botswana, South Africa and the United States, the multidisciplinary production used collaboration as its foundation. Yet beneath the theme of friendship suggested by its Setswana title, Ditsala, the performance carried a deeper narrative about the shared historical experiences that continue to shape black communities worldwide. The evening’s musical direction set the tone early.
Vocalists Queen Garekwe and Debbie with a T delivered a series of original compositions written alongside Nicole Martinez, blending traditional Setswana influences with elements of soul and jazz. Their performances moved between reflective and celebratory, echoing the broader themes of heritage and cultural continuity. Dance provided another powerful storytelling tool. The New Moon Ensemble dancers moved between traditional Setswana choreography, hip-hop vocabulary and contemporary movement, illustrating how African cultural expression continues to evolve while remaining rooted in its past. One of the most visually arresting moments came during a segment that projected archival footage of Basarwa communities onto the dancers’ costumes. As the performers moved across the stage, the imagery travelled with them, turning their bodies into moving canvases that connected ancestral memory with present-day identity. The creative vision behind the production belongs to New Moon Ensemble founder and artistic director Moratiwa Molema, who also delivered a thought-provoking spoken-word performance during the programme. At the centre of her poem was a line that captured the spirit of the evening: “African Renaissance calls for rain, and it will rain...”
The line resonated as both prophecy and metaphor, reflecting the show’s broader meditation on renewal, identity and the enduring resilience of African and diasporic cultures. Speaking about the origins of the project, Molema explained that the collaboration was sparked by South African visual artist Nico Phooko. “We started the show because of Nico Phooko,” she said. “He is a visual artist who loves music, and after meeting during previous workshops and collaborations, he approached me about working together. He had a vision that involved traditional music and different artistic elements, so I designed a show around that idea.” The collaboration was supported through a cultural exchange initiative funded by the Goethe-Institut South Africa, which enabled artists from different countries to contribute to the production. If Molema’s spoken word framed the intellectual heart of the evening, American poet Frederick Douglas Knowles II delivered one of its most politically charged moments. Performing alongside the live band and dancers, Knowles delivered a forceful monologue that traced a line through key figures in the global Black struggle. Invoking names such as Bob Marley, Patrice Lumumba and Muhammad Ali, his performance reminded the audience that the fight against oppression, colonialism and racial injustice remains a defining thread connecting Black communities across continents.
The programme also paused to honour the late South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela, whose music became synonymous with the anti-apartheid struggle. Trumpeter Lesedi Ntsane, originally from Lesotho and now based in South Africa, performed a stirring rendition of Stimela, accompanied by spoken word and contemporary choreography. Meanwhile, visual artist Phooko, popularly known as The Music Painter, created a parallel narrative on stage. Positioned beside the performers, he painted live throughout the evening, translating the rhythm and emotion of the performance into bold strokes on canvas. By the time the show reached its conclusion, the painting had evolved into an abstract reflection of the night itself, a visual response to the music, movement and ideas that had filled the theatre.
Reflecting afterwards, Phooko said the atmosphere of the performance guided his work. “The atmosphere tonight, the music, the dancing and the people here who appreciate art, all influenced what I put on the canvas,” he said. Taken together, Notes and Strokes – Ditsala positioned art not simply as entertainment but as a medium for reflection. Through its blend of disciplines and international voices, the production highlighted how the language of performance continues to articulate the histories, struggles and aspirations shared across the Black world.