Alex Evans, Kazzum’s Artistic Director, travelled to Addis Ababa in September 2026, to embark upon a 26 day intensive programme of activity with The Wubanchi Project, in collaboration with the Bleu Blanc Rouge Foundation (BBRF) supported by Greenwood Place.

The project kicked off with 3 days of planning and preparation with the team, including meetings, site visits, co-working, acclimating and planning for a whole company rehearsal. Alex was welcomed into the team very naturally and felt at home amongst colleagues. He was working and staying centrally in the Bolé area and delivering in the Goro suburb where many young people live and go to school. Throughout his stay Alex found Addis to be an exciting city, full of energy and creativity.

The first week of rehearsals were spent meeting the groups of young people who had signed up for the project, many choosing multiple disciplines, reflecting their interests in dance, music, drama, writing and stagecraft. Alex led workshops in separate disciplines for the first week creating stories, building skills, designing campaign t-shirts and exploring music and dance before bringing groups together to form ensembles as the process went on. This was an energising and demanding time creatively, personally and professionally as Alex adjusted to the new ways of being and working alongside the team and young people. The workshops had great attendance and engagement throughout and had started to develop some impactful creative ideas.

Despite limited formal experience (beyond BBRF freelance artist filmmaker Yared) in devising theatre or delivering multi disciplinary arts programmes, there was a great deal of curiosity and trust in the team about the role of creativity to support young people’s empowerment and self-expression. Kazzum’s inclusion in the programme supported the professional development of BBRF staff, enabling key members Lemlem, Betty, Eme, Beti and Biruk to take on leadership roles within dramaturgy, stage management, design, and assistant directing (despite already very busy schedules and pressure of the wider festival scheme) The team absolutely flourished in the 4 days spent in technical rehearsal in the theatre, deepening shared ownership of the project alongside young people as the final showcase developed.

After a fortnight of working Alex was joined by Kazzum artist Gail Babb who brought a wealth of knowledge and skill to the process, contributing to the dramaturgy and technical direction in the theatre showcase. Kazzum Artist Debora Mina also soon joined, bringing significant strength in devising, dramaturgy and writing, co-creating a series of impactful sound pieces used throughout the final performance. The team collaborated to bring out each other’s strengths, develop a coherent performance and meaningful process for everyone involved. The Kazzum UK team was then complimented by Sam Kofi, working alongside BBR on behalf of Greenwood Place. Sam’s insights and enthusiasm, as well as ability to take on roles from dance captain to videographer were essential in bringing everything together.

Many highlights, side-quests and unexpected things ensued, usually centring around relationships, laughter, applause, misunderstandings, changes, delays, dancing, celebrations and triumphs. As the piece found its form, young people started to generate writing, including monologues, letters, scripts, poems and speeches. Stories rooted in childhood games and songs built upon shared experiences between the young company and the audience. In the final performance, the audience resonated with moments of deep understanding, through the young people’s expressive voice and the use of music, drama and dance.

Design workshops generated ideas for t-shirts and set design, with one young person using his digital skills to take leadership of the t-shirt and flyer design and hashtags for the project. Other design participants focussed on fabricating the set (88 metres of muslin material, hand dip-dyed in yellow) and a large-scale tree prop which grew throughout the performance. They then took on stage management, additional prop-making, lighting and sound roles for the tech and performance. Dance elements included a group choreographed Afrodance routine, traditional ‘Zemele’ dance, as well as choreographed contemporary dance, duets and solo circus performance. These were integrated throughout the piece as part of the storytelling narrative and to provide a balance of joyful moments. Music featured throughout, and included live piano and saxophone performances, traditional song and original compositions made by young people.

Throughout the process young people showed up with commitment and engagement in the process. They deepened friendships and overcame difference, showed courage to explore and encouraged others to build a show uniquely theirs. The final show was a moving collection of stories, told from multiple character perspectives about challenging issues.

On the day of the performance everyone was completely overwhelmed by the incredible attendance and engagement of the audience, who responded with such positivity and encouragement to the work of young people. The performance took place at the National Theatre of Ethiopia, which was completely packed! The Staff and community from across BBR were deeply moved by the performance. The show captured a hopeful spirit to face complex issues, moving from the personal to the political, using humour and pathos to showcase the ideas of young people.