Dance is a powerful tool, it is a language, and we love to see when that language is used to tell stories and bring attention to issues. In October 2024, Ambrose Tjark presented his first solo dance presentation-SOOT YOURSELF, which brings attention to the environmental challenges faced by the inhabitants of the eastern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt; where soot pollutes the air, blankets the city, and makes breathing difficult.
SOOT YOURSELF premiered at the Harbourfront Center Theatre in Toronto, Canada as part of the Dance Immersion showcase, which aims to showcase black people in dance in Canada. Ambrose presented an 18 minute excerpt of his 30 minute original piece.
We caught up with Ambrose to talk SOOT YOURSELF and understand why this topic means so much to him.
AFROCONEX: Ambrose congratulations on your first solo presentation with SOOT YOURSELF. Tell us about the movements you used for this piece and what inspired those movements ?
AMBROSE: The type of the movements I used are majority sublime movements originating from Konto, performed in free movements, lyrical expression, Afro contemporary and unorthodox sound representation.
Konto is a dance style from the streets of Lagos Nigeria, influenced by components of Jamaican Reggae and culture.
Dancing Konto is primarily all about telling my story in a nutshell. Stories from events or situations around traumas and mental health, influenced by personal experiences and social themes.
Konto is my everyday experiences as a street dancer and fighter raised in Port Harcourt and Lagos. I would love to add that Port Harcourt is also, If not the next city after Lagos, that has contributed hugely to the evolution of the street style, Konto. Really, just me, being a Nigerian is the core inspiration behind my movements.
So, telling a story about the social issue of a deadly disaster caused by Oil Bunkering in Niger Delta, Port Harcourt, Nigeria naturally inspired the movements in the piece; a story just as highly evocative as the movements rooted in Konto. Expressing all of these in free movements is my worship, accepting self in black joy, communing and creating living experiences with/for my ancestors. This is how I survive each day.
AFROCONEX: What do you want people to take away from this piece?
AMBROSE: Honestly, with this piece I want to evoke empathy, self reflection and an experience that will make people more consciously aware of our realities, inequalities and struggles out of our control, right in our faces and hopefully in turn, cause a call to action.
AFROCONEX: How can people see this piece? When and where will it be available?
AMBROSE: The work isn’t available anywhere virtually. If you would love to see it, you’d have to look out for next performance date information or reach out to us if you’re interested in programming the work.
AFROCONEX: How has soot personally impacted you?
AMBROSE: Soot in my life takes many forms, deeply personal and universally relatable, especially to the Black community. My father’s battle with prostate cancer and the exorbitant, inadequate healthcare system in Nigeria is a glaring example. The soot represents the systemic neglect and financial strain that exacerbates his suffering. It symbolizes the tears and frustration of countless families battling illnesses in a broken healthcare system.
The death of my sister from a sickle cell crisis, shortly after giving birth to her healthy, strong son, embodies another layer of soot. Her loss is a painful reminder of the inadequate medical support for genetic conditions prevalent in our community. It’s a stark manifestation of the everyday soot we carry in our hearts.
Losing my partner, Love Divine, to COVID-19, amidst Nigeria’s poor healthcare infrastructure, adds another poignant layer. Her death is a testament to the fatal consequences of systemic healthcare failures. It’s a reminder of the soot that clings to us, born from grief and loss in a world that fails to protect its people.
As an artist, traveling difficulties and visa and immigration challenges due to my Nigerian identity represent another form of soot. These obstacles are barriers to my creativity and growth, reminders of the neocolonial practices and colonial leftovers that still bind us. They are soot that hinders our progress, staining our aspirations.
With this project, I aim to reflect on these personal experiences and connect them to broader community struggles. By highlighting these issues, I hope to evoke a deeper understanding and empathy. The soot in my life and in the lives of others is not just environmental; it’s deeply personal and systemic.
AFROCONEX: What do you think should be done about the soot impacting Port Harcourt?
AMBROSE: Hmm, as a realist, a solution sounds almost impossible but I will approach this question in two parts;
Firstly, this disaster stems from our heavy reliance on oil and its high consumption, which is used extensively across business and personal activities, driving high demand. Despite Nigeria’s wealth in other natural resources, the focus remains on the oil industry. By investing in other sectors and natural resources, we can create new opportunities, diversify the economy, and reduce oil production, ultimately decreasing the environmental damage caused by oil extraction.
Secondly, because the above point sounds almost impossible, the way forward would be a solution to oil bunkering itself. Oil bunkering carries risks that pose challenges to maritime safety, environmental well-being, and operational integrity. The handling of oil bunkering presents a risk of spills and leakages, whether due to equipment failure, human error, or unforeseen circumstances. I mean there is a huge illegal business of ship-to-ship bunkering as a cover for deceptive practices. So, Ensuring stringent safety measures, monitoring systems, and adherence to industry regulations are crucial to mitigating these risks associated with oil bunkering operations.
Honestly for me, the number one measure to be taken would be regularly maintaining and upgrading pipelines to prevent easy tampering, making it more difficult for bunkering to occur. And also engaging local communities by creating economic alternatives and involving them in protecting oil infrastructure. Incentivizing locals to report illegal activities can also reduce community involvement in bunkering.
Else, the locals can just keep relocating away from the regions contaminated with this disease.
Be sure to also checkout our Lagos Through the Eyes of Ambrose Tjark entry.
Follow Ambrose at @ambrose_tjark
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