Taking Care of Gods

In July 2019, Swiss-Congolese music composer and performer Soraya Lutangu Bonaventure moved to Kampala, Uganda, to create a project that fuses electronic music with gospel. She worked in collaboration with the Kingdom Gospel Club, an a capella group of Congolese refugees in Uganda. Together, they initiated Taking Care of God, a collaboration that explores the perception of spirituality in the world, the search for trance through rhythms and the need for inter-cultural exchange. 

Taking Care of God is a hybrid performance, a journey towards connection through celebration and collective empowerment. It aims to explore the intersections that exist between the church and club worlds, and their use of music and dance. 

Taking Care of God is a collective gesture affirming the beauty found in unity and cooperation, while exploring the individual trajectories of the performers. The project challenges the practice, meaning and dissemination of worship hymns by merging them with the rhythms and codes of progressive and contemporary club music. 

DISTRIBUTION

Proposal, artistic direction, dramaturgy: Soraya Lutangu Bonaventure 

Musical composition, vocals, performance: Soraya Lutangu Bonaventure + Kingdom Gospel Club 

Choreography and dramaturgy: Jeremy Nedd 

Movement research: Tamara Alegre 

Lighting design: Sel Dir Melaizi 

Set design: Giulia Essyad 

Technical direction, video post production : Ali-Eddine Abdelkhalek 

Costumes: Bobby Kolade 

Outside view: Erika Nieva Da Cunha 

Sound and lighting control: Alixe Bowen 

Studio engineer, Kampala: Rey Sapiens 

Tour Manager: Iman Waser 

Photo Credits: Ian Nnyanzi, 2021 

Executive Production: Anna Ladeira and Mathias Ecoeur – Ars Longa 

Production : Cie Eternal 

Co-Production : Arsenic (Lausanne), Grütli (Geneva), Gessnerallee (Zürich), Dampfzentrale (Bern), Kaserne (Basel), Südpol (Luzern). A co-production within the framework of the Reso – Réseau Danse Suisse Programmers’ Fund. Supported by Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council.