Tjijandjeua ‘Gift’ Uzera
May & June 2025
The Namibian performer and interdisciplinary artist Tjijandjeua ‘Gift’ Uzera is researching on his Project “Rhythm Reborn” during the residency in HELLERAU. “Rhythm Reborn” is a research-driven performance exploring the evolution of Herero traditional dance, particularly the transition of Oviritje from a ritual-based practice to a contemporary entertainment form. The project investigates how colonial education and Western dance dominance have marginalized indigenous movement in Namibia, and how contemporary performance can serve as a space for reclaiming and evolving traditional dances.
During the residency, Tjijandjeua ‘Gift’ Uzera will analyze the kinetic principles of Ondjongo, Omutjina, and Oviritje, mapping their movement vocabulary alongside Afro-contemporary and Western dance techniques. The goal is to create a new choreographic language that reflects the coexistence of historical and modern Namibian identity through dance..
In cooperation with Theatertreffen Berlin and the Goethe Institut.
Tjijandjeua ‘Gift’ Uzera is a Namibian performer and interdisciplinary artist working across dance, theatre, music, and film. His work explores queerness, decolonization, and cultural memory, using performance to challenge societal norms and reimagine history. He holds a Bachelor’s in Music Studies, Dance, and Psychology from the University of Namibia (2017). Uzera’s projects include “Rhythm Reborn,” in 2024 on the evolving Herero dance, “Unwritten Archives,” in Munich on the Herero-Nama genocide, and “Hereroland,” at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, 2020, and 2023 in Namibia. He has also acted in the movies “Hand-Holder,” on Showmax, and “Der Vermessene Mensch,” both released in 2023. His work was featured in “ENTANGLED,” 2024–March 2025, an exhibition at the Rhodes Trust, Oxford University.
