Explore William Kentridge's remarkable performance piece, The Head & The Load, and discover how music, dance, writing, and fine art are combined to tell the haunting story of Africans during WWI.

For over thirty years, William Kentridge has been combining fine arts, performance, theatre, and opera to create dreamlike, political, and humanist works. His installations , films, and drawings often deal with the political situation in South Africa, apartheid, and the consequences of colonialism. This book gives an in-depth examination of his performance piece The Head & The Load, which explores the role of Africa during World War I. Throughout the war, more than one million Africans carried provisions and military equipment in hazardous conditions for British, French, and German troops at minimal or no pay. William Kentridge tells the story of these African porters who ensured the success of the victors, but remain in the shadows. This history, rarely studied today, unfolds in a staged tableau combining music, dance, acting, screenings, and mechanized sculptures. The book includes photos and text from the performance, essays, and artworks created specifically by Kentridge to complement the play. Accompanied by an international cast of singers, actors, and dancers, and with music composed by Philip Miller, The Head & The Load is a powerful and multifaceted work that reconsiders colonial history and its repercussions in today's world.

三十多年来，威廉.肯特里奇坚持将美术、表演、戏剧和歌剧结合起来，创作出如梦似幻的人文主义作品。他的装置、电影和绘画经常涉及南非的政治局势、种族隔离制度和殖民主义产生的后果。

本书深入探讨了他的表演作品The Head & The Load，该作品回溯了非洲在第一次世界大战期间的作用。在整个战争期间，超过一百万的非洲人在危险的条件下为英国、法国和德国军队运送物资和军事装备，但报酬极低甚至没有。威廉.肯特里奇讲述了这些非洲搬运工的故事，他们确保了胜利者的成功，但仍然处于阴影之下。这段今天很少被研究的历史，在一个结合了音乐、舞蹈、表演、放映和机械装置的舞台上展开了。本书包括演出的照片和文字，文章以及肯特里奇为补充该剧而专门创作的艺术作品。在国际歌手、演员和舞者的配合下，The Head & The Load是一部强有力的、多层次的作品，重新思考了殖民历史及其在当今世界的影响。