Kalakuta Republic was the name that legendary Afrobeat pioneer and radical political activist Fela Kuti gave to his communal compound in the suburbs of Lagos, even declaring it independent from Nigeria in 1970. It burnt to the ground in 1977 following an assault by 1000 armed soldiers. Arrested more than 200 times throughout his life, Kuti was a merciless scourge of corruption, repression and inequality.

Pioneering dancer and choreographer Serge Aimé Coulibaly takes Kuti’s life and beliefs as inspiration for this visually stunning, hypnotic dance work for seven performers that draws lines from African revolution in the 1970s to today’s political resistance. In Coulibaly’s dynamic, demanding choreography, dance becomes a symbol of transformation, a ceaseless march towards ultimate freedom. Kalakuta Republik is a carnival of insurrection.

Download the programme here