NKISK
2023
Jolie Ngemi
Arsenic – Centre d’art scénique contemporain
Concept/Performance: Jolie Ngemi
Dramaturgy: Jeremy Nedd
Stage/Lighting: Laura Knüsel
Lighting/Technique: Alain Caron
Audio design: Rej Deproc | Ibaaku
Production management: Gaëlle Marc | Caroline Froelich
Nkisi is a word in Lingala, Jolie Ngemi's mother tongue, that has many different meanings. It can colloquially mean «remedy», «witch, sorcery», «medicine» or denote a sacred fetish (statuette).
Who would these powerful Nkisi women be today, who acted as facilitators of occult powers and were the secret advisors of kings at the time? What is left of these practices when most of the Nkisi statuettes have been looted over the centuries and are found in various museums in colonial countries?
Jolie Ngemi tries to make this traditional knowledge of the Nkisi visible, to remind us of their beauty and at the same time to rekindle their flame and healing power.