Inky: Can you introduce yourself?
Michael: My name is Michael Gagawala Kaddu. I come from Uganda which is situated in the east of Africa. I'm a Ugandan professional contemporary dancer with a strong base in Ugandan traditional dances and tribal spiritual practices. I have a decade and a half of experience in performing and teaching dance.
I: How did you arrive in Berlin?
M: My travels to Germany began in the summer of 2012. I was working with a contemporary dance company called Keiga as a dancer and a collaborator. During our tour, we performed in Switzerland and Germany, and so, for the first time I came to Berlin. In the following years, I kept coming back and forth until I got married in 2019 and nested here.
I: Can you tell me about your artistic activities in Berlin?
M: For a couple of years I've been researching the relevance of oral traditions and rituals. In 2022, I created a solo work titled Underneath Climate Cracks for Nah Dran Extended 2022 at Uferstudios. The work was about investigating the challenges of climate change and relevance of rituals in an African perspective. I was trying to reanimate the dying philosophy of African climate alterations. Last year (2023), I created a solo work called Orientation, which was presented at Tanznacht. It was about the bill that the Ugandan government passed against the gay community. My work focuses on awakening "glocal" Artivism in different generations around the world. I really credit my mother to be the genesis of my artistry. She comes from the lineage of rainmakers.
I: Your mother is a rainmaker? That's beautiful.
M: It is, but in this age, it is deemed evil, because she practises indigenous wisdoms. People are afraid of what they don't understand. Basically our younger generation doesn't understand the relevance of rituals and its influence on contemporary dance. So, it is true the oral traditions are being lost.
I: These rituals that you are working with are not very present in Ugandan society right now?
M: It is vanishing. So, in my works and research, I try to reanimate those oral traditions, such as songs, poems and musical instruments, so that they don't fade away.
I: Can you tell me more about your work, Orientation?
M: Last year, the government of Uganda amended a bill to punish the gay community. It was an act of silencing the expansion of the gay community. The government's claims were that the gay community was trying to recruit young individuals into gay acts, behaviours and sexual identities. So, I created this piece to raise awareness of this issue and foster dialogue between the conservative world and the LGBTQ community, encouraging mutual understanding without conflict. "Whenever people are deprived of their rights and freedom, development is invariably limited," said the former German chancellor Angela Merkel, at the Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in 2015.
I: What are important elements in your work?
M: Holding traditions dearly. Heritage and history shape our identities. So, I really try to work with this identity. I use African movements and anchor into my roots. I deconstruct movements to let my body create and transfer information. I let my body reveal secrets and rhythms to build its own movement vocabulary. I try to share what other people don't know, to see if it can shed light on their lives, if they choose to accept it.
I: What do you want your work to be like?
M: Long time ago, I wanted to learn traditional dances from different parts of the world. I wanted to learn the essence of these movements. If we can incorporate these essences into our work, it will always provide us with a platform to unite, be free, and trust each other. It creates a moment that will never fade away. So, I strive to create a platform where we are all regarded as the same and equal, without considering someone's skin colour, ethnicity, education, or societal structures, but instead, are regarded as one humankind.
I: Is there anything you wish more of?
M: I wish for more opportunities—to share what I hold dear and allow others to witness it. People like me often face challenges establishing themselves in the European art industry. So, it's my wish to share more because I do believe that I have a lot to offer.
I: Thank you! Would you like to add anything else?
M: I'm a dance Artivist. I use my movement and artistry to talk about different issues that affect society.
Published in June 2024. Text by Inky Lee.