Mi Pret’i Wowo Junadry Leocaria

Like many Curaçaoans and people with an Afro-Caribbean background, her father has long denied that his roots lie in Africa. The disconnect and the shame of being a descendant of enslaved people is very prevalent among Curaçaoans. To get closer to each other, Junadry and her father travel to Nigeria “back to where he came from”, in search of cultural connections stored in their bodies and in the hope of healing from the effects of the slavery past.

The journey is depicted by visual artist Richard Kofi who documents the conversations and experiences on film and drawings. These will be seen and heard during the performance. In addition, Kofi draws live during the performance.

The performance brings together Afro-Caribbean dance styles, Latin, and visual storytelling. In this way, Mi Pret'i Wowo portrays a past of dance traditions and cultures that are passed on from generation to generation.

The interviews from Nigeria, Curaçao and the follow-up discussions are processed into podcasts. These episodes are published on the podcast platform “Project Wiaspora”.