The concept of Mimi’s Shebeen began with a memory; as a child Alesandra Seutin, listened to her mother sing the music of Miriam Makeba and one song in particular, “Novema,” stayed with her, planting a seed that would lead to the inception of Mimi’s Shebeen. Makeba, known to many as “Mama Africa,” was more than a musical icon; she was a voice of resistance, exiled from South Africa for speaking out against Apartheid and later forced to leave the US for Guinea due her relentless activism and marriage to leading Black Panther Stokely Carmichael. Her music carried stories of struggle, hope and fierce pride in her pan-African identity and womanhood and those stories were thoughtfully brought to life with this production through motion, sound and passion.
Mimi’s Shebeen is a bold and heartfelt tribute that blends dance, song, poetry and rhythm in an all-encompassing production that serves not just a performance but as an insight into the life of one of modern history’s most intriguing and fascinating musicians. The audience steps into Seutin’s version of a Shebeen: a space where women gather, move, speak and celebrate freely. The shebeen is presented to us in a deconstructed landscape which evoked afro-futurism to me whilst also interconnected the historical context: in Apartheid-era South Africa, Shebeens were underground safe-havens, places of temporary respite where communities could laugh, cry, debate and escape the harshness of daily life. Many were run by women, the “Shebeen Queens” who turned these spaces into vibrant hubs of community and expression; Miriam is represented as one such “Shebeen Queen”.
Seutin’s work is steeped in history of resistance, migration, exile and return with a number of subtle yet poignant reminders of Miriam’s life journey – the inclusion of a bicycle for instance is symbolic of the migrants in the Italian town in which Miriam passed away. She’s joined by a powerful lineup of collaborators: poets Lebo Mashile and Lisette Ma Neza, musicians Angelo Moustapha and Zouratié Koné, and singer Tutu Puoane. The dancers from Seutin’s company, Vocab Dance, bring it all to life with power, authority, energy and unshakeable soul. I cannot overstate how compelling the sound and music of this production was – utterly enthralling and captivating.
I felt that the production tied the nuances of pan-African history with elements of afro-pessimism and afro-futurism in a powerful and dynamic way. Admittedly there were moments of deep discomfort which were unsettling but that served the purpose of the story that was being told. We have to sit with that discomfort to face the reality of what it was like, what it is like to be a Black African woman striving to make a difference in a world that would rather simply extract our labour from us for the purposes of creation. Whether that is creation of life or art or justice.
One of my favourite aspects of the production was the pan-African celebration which was so wonderfully executed.
Mimi’s Shebeen is a reminder that even in the darkest of times Black people will always find ways to connect, to create and to hold onto joy. It is that proud pro-Blackness that makes this production a force to be reckoned with, one that will stay with any audience that experiences it forever.
NEED TO KNOW: Mimi’s Shebeen plays at Sadler’s Wells East until Fri 24 Oct 2025
