Arts and Creative Industries / Theatre / PEPONI explores ideas of paradise on Southern African tour

PEPONI explores ideas of paradise on Southern African tour

Arts and Creative Industries
SHARE
THIS:
20 August

This August and September, PEPONI, the first original dance-theatre production by House of Wondar, will tour five Southern African countries with support from the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), Institut français in Paris, and the Alliance Française network in Southern Africa.

Meaning “paradise” in Kiswahili, PEPONI brings together eight company members to explore what paradise means to them and what it might mean to create their own sense of paradise where they are. Developed since March 2026, the production is choreographed by Matthieu Nieto, with dramaturgy by South African poet and theatre-maker Koleka Putuma.

The tour begins at the Little Theatre in Dar es Salaam on 29 August, before travelling to Durban for the JOMBA! Dance Festival on 3 and 4 September. Performances follow at the Eswatini Theatre Club in Mbabane on 9 September and Maitisong Theatre in Gaborone on 12 September.

PEPONI then heads to Gauteng, with a performance at Wits Theatre in Johannesburg on 18 September, followed by the Leeto Dance Festival and I’trotra in Soweto on 19 September. The tour concludes at Semana da Dança at the Franco-Mozambican Cultural Centre in Maputo on 23 September.

The tour supports the circulation of contemporary performance across the region, connecting House of Wondar with audiences, festivals and cultural institutions in Tanzania, South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana and Mozambique.

Follow House of Wondar on Instagram for tour updates!

You might also like

PEPONI explores ideas of paradise on Southern African tour

This August and September, PEPONI, the first original dance-theatre production by House of Wondar, will tour five Southern African...

Choose France for your studies!

10 good reasons to choose France You’ve decided to study in France. You can’t imagine all that lies in...

Public administrative cooperation – Trainings on offer at French Public Service schools

You work in the public sector and you’d like to expand your areas of competence, acquire new skills or discover...

Viva Afritech! Viva the South African start ups

It has been one month since the close of this year’s VivaTech Conference in Paris. From the 13th to...

Let's get social
This message is only visible to admins.
Problem displaying Facebook posts.
Click to show error
Error: Server configuration issue
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.
Meet the CrĂ©ation Africa Top 15 entrepreneurs! Over the past few months, they have been taking part in a business incubation journey facilitated by UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division, CAPACITI.👏✹ #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
Join leading scholars on the enduring legacy of Frantz Fanon and the continuing relevance of his ideas on colonialism, race, liberation and decolonisation in today's world.
On 29 March 2026, FĂȘte de la Musique was presented in Cape Town for the first time, as part of Bree Street Sundays. Organised by the French Embassy and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), the event brought free live music into the public space, transforming Bree Street into an open-air platform for performance and exchange. FĂȘte de la Musique Cape Town was implemented, supported and funded in partnership with Bassline, TotalEnergies Marketing South Africa, the Alliance Française of Cape Town, Young Urbanists through Street Experiment SA, Bridges for Music, the City of Cape Town, Mission for Inner City Cape Town and Jazz in the City.
Jean Spiri, directeur de l'IFAS, s'entretient avec Georges Lory et Daphnée Breytenbach à l'occasion de leur tournée littéraire en Afrique du Sud. Pour plus d'informations sur les événements publics, veuillez consulter le site web de l'IFAS: https://frenchinstitute.org.za/arts-and-creative-industries/literature/french-south-african-literature-conversations-tour-daphnee-breytenbach-georges-lory/.
The Création Africa Top 50 is a true reflection of the depth and diversity of the cultural and creative industries! #CreationAfrica2 #FrenchInstituteSA
🎉 Meet the selected Top 50 entrepreneurs for the second edition of CrĂ©ation Africa, from South Africa. Lesotho and Malawi 🎉 Congratulations as they begin a seven-week mentorship journey with UVU Africa and its digital skills and innovation division CAPACITI. 👏
A conversation exploring the impact of the 2025 funding cuts for the HIV response, especially for at risk and LGBTQIA+ communities. The panel will consist of leading experts in the field, both within health research and operating directly on the ground with affected groups.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, this film turns to Lesotho to spotlight artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation initiatives supported by IFAS. Shot across the Mountain Kingdom, it features voices that have helped define the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
As part of the French Institute of South Africa’s (IFAS) 30th anniversary, a visit to Malawi captured the stories of artists and cultural practitioners involved in co-creation projects supported by IFAS. From Lilongwe to Blantyre, the film brings together voices that have contributed to the Institute’s work over the past three decades. Directed by Adam Heyns.
Join us for a special talk by Justice Edwin Cameron and Sohela Surajpal, two of the authors of the new book 'Behind Prison Walls'. Their talk will bring together Michel Foucault's reflections on the systems of discipline and South Africa's experience of incarceration, offering an original analysis: how prisons, far from serving as tools of rehabilitation, become instruments of social control and the perpetuation of inequality.
Launched in 2022 under the France 2030 initiative, the ICC Immersion programme supports French entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries (CCI) as they expand into global markets. Implemented in South Africa by Institut français in Paris, the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS), Business France, and Business France South Africa and Southern Africa, the initiative connects French companies with key players in South Africa’s dynamic creative sector. This year’s cohort featured nine innovative CCI companies—Allegria, Atrack (Beam for Music), Agence Culturelle PLUS (Reunion Island), Culturespaces, Fabrik & Moi (Reunion Island), France MusĂ©ums DĂ©veloppement, Jakob + MacFarlane, Memorist, and Sound Birth—representing fields from architecture and immersive technology to museum development, cultural consultancy, and music innovation. Altogether, the South African edition fostered meaningful exchange between French and South African cultural leaders, opening the door to future collaborations across the two countries.  Special thank you to the featured sites: Constitution Hill Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Joburg Contemporary Art Foundation Spier Wine Farm, TRACE Studios Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct Wesgro Wits Digital Dome Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa ----- ICC Immersion is coordinated by the SecrĂ©tariat GĂ©nĂ©ral pour l'Investissement (SGPI) and driven by the Institut Français and Business France, with support from the Banque des territoires, the French Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The 2025 edition is implemented by IFAS and Business France in Johannesburg.
Subscribe
© 2026 frenchinstitute.org.za. All rights reserved. Site design by Nicework.
View our Data Policy and Terms.