A Conversation in the Humanities in Session Series at the Centre for Humanities Research (University of the Western Cape), part of the Advanced Research Seminar.
This solo multimedia concert by Angolan composer and performer Victor Gama forms part of a long-term project responding to the unfinished research of anthropologist Augusto Zita N’Gonguenho. In the 1980s, Zita conducted fieldwork on Angola’s southwest coast using both scientific and divinatory methods rooted in local knowledge systems.
His work was abruptly halted by disappearance in 1987, later linked to covert operations by apartheid South Africa’s National Intelligence Service. Drawing on Zita’s partially recovered notes, Gama has developed a body of work that engages sound as a mode of historical recovery.
Performed on the acrux and toha – two original instruments he designed – this concert combines acoustic innovation with digital media, and reflects Gama’s ongoing exploration of the intersections between tradition, technology, and memory. Developed as part of his long-term INSTRMNTS project, Gama combines polyrhythmic patterns from Southern Africa, electronic music, and contemporary composition to explore new sonic possibilities. This performance continues a touring history that includes venues such as Carnegie Hall, Philharmonie Luxembourg, and Stanford University.