28/05/2026
Live art performance sparks conversations
By Thandolwethu Khumalo
live art performance that formed part of Rhodes University’s Transformation Imbizo on 29 April provoked such strong engagement that the university convened a second gathering on 14 May to continue the conversation it had started.
Hosted by Rhodes University’s Office of Equity and Institutional Culture at the Fine Arts Gallery, the Transformation Imbizo brought together student leaders, academic and support staff, and university leadership to reflect on the institution’s transformation journey. The follow-up discussion was prompted by the response to artist Skhumbuzo Makandula’s live performance piece, Inhlambuluko, commissioned for the Imbizo and first performed at the end of April.
Makandula started the night by describing Inhlambuluko as a processional live art performance, which he calls "umsebenzi", a term that reflects how the work happens in public and involves those who encounter it.
His live performance art has been shown in Cape Town and Kimberley. At its most recent staging, the procession began at Soccer City, which Makandula calls a deliberate choice, "I wanted people who were on their way to work, and school kids on their way, to see the work," he said.
Cat Western, a lecturer in the Rhodes Fine Arts department, spoke about what the performance stirred in its audiences. She explained that, in processional work, the viewer's experience often matters as much as the work itself. She also addressed the discomfort that live art can produce. "Most times, people tend to think that art should always be something pleasant and happy. And while art can be that, sometimes art needs to show us where it hurts in the world," she said.
Dr Thandokazi May, a medical anthropologist at Rhodes's Anthropology Department, brought an academic and cultural perspective to the discussion. Her PhD research explored how isiXhosa-speaking communities understand and heal intergenerational trauma, with ritual being central to that process. She said, "Inhlambuluko can be a performance, but in an indigenous cosmology it exists beyond the performance," grounding the concept in living cultural tradition.
When the floor opened to students and the SRC, two clear themes came through. The first was a call for more transformation conversations that also involve students. The second was a call for the recognition of African spiritual practices as legitimate forms of wellness and healing, for both staff and students.
Post-Imbizo Engagement guest speakers share insights during a forum centered on the live art production, Inhlambuluko. The post-show dialogue provided the audience with context regarding the performance's themes of cleansing and renewal. Photo: Mbali Tanana
