Presented by his peers as one of the best Cameroonian dancers, Arsène Etaba scours the streets and dance halls of Cameroon, Africa and the world for battles or festivals for almost 10 years. The artistic director of the company The Perfomers, Arsène Etaba, presents this weekend, at the Othni laboratory in Yaoundé, his first solo, entitled “The gods dance badly”. A performance in which he questions the governance of leaders.
From our correspondent in Yaoundé,
Arsène Etaba’s sculpted body exudes dance. His innate sense of rhythm, the grace of his movements and his explosive energy shake the floor of the Othni laboratory, where he prepares in front of a few admirers.
« I think it was dance that chose me. In dance, I found many other facilitations. I found many other openings. I was awarded the Goethe-Découverte prize in 2022, he recalls. But before that, I had already had the grace to meet Zora Snake, performing choreographer, a dance legend also at Cameroonwho introduced me to Europe for the first time with his play Shadow survivors. And that’s actually where another choreographer, Serge Aimé Coulibaly from Faso Danse Théâtre, got me back. »
« At one time we were forbidden to dance in our own streets »
Dance, his passion, accompanied him throughout his academic career. Last year, at the University of Douala, he made it the subject of his thesis in pharmacy on the theme “Dance as therapy”. When Arsène Etaba dances, it is also to send a message. For this, he created a hybrid style, the Djeum.
« Djeum is an Afro urban dance that was born following unfortunate events, I would say, because at a certain period we were forbidden to dance in our own streets, laments the dancer. So I, as a Cameroonian citizen, young Cameroonian, entrepreneur, passionate about art and culture, I could not understand why I was forbidden to dance at home. Especially since my peers, my loved ones, liked what I did. So, it started out of frustration. »
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A source of inspiration for young dancers
Eight years after his debut in university ballet and his participation in several festivals in Africa and around the world with the Mugnal companies from Cameroon and especially Faso Danse from Burkina Faso, Arsène has become a source of inspiration for other young people. Rose Gweha, recent winner of the Goethe-Découverte prize for stage performance, follows in his footsteps: “ For me, he’s the benchmark as a dancer with competitions, creative dance, I’ve done everything he does, so I hope I can be like him later. »
Arsène Etaba is on stage with his first solo show “The Gods Dance Mal”, which he is performing this weekend of January 17 in Yaoundé. Then, direction Austria, first stop of a new world tour.
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