AS I AM NATURALLY

As I Am Naturally is a powerful new interdisciplinary production from performance artist Tania Camara, centered on the lived experiences of Black women and girls. Breaking the silence around childhood sexual abuse within Black communities and holding space to transform individual feelings of shame, pain and vulnerability into wholeness, strength and courage, through the Cape Verdean music and dance artform Batuku. Integrated within the production, Batuku uplifts the voices of generations of Black women affected by childhood sexual abuse, supporting them to be seen, heard, and held, and turning the show into an act of liberation and self-reclamation that celebrates Black female bodies and individual and collective power.

This show has been created for diverse audiences, with a focus on Black African, migrant, and bilingual communities. Delivered in English, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole, it addresses the under-represented subject matter of childhood sexual abuse within these communities in a transformative way - shifting the narrative from darkness and isolation to healing, reclamation and empowerment. Through a personal yet collective story featuring live art/performance, dance, live music, projection and spoken word, the show invites audiences to confront hard truths while fostering a sense of resilience, unity, and connection. AIAN is more than just a performance - it's a space for dialogue and a celebration of individual strength in overcoming adversity.

Note from me:

An innocent caress. Touch. There. Place. In that place. My forbidden place. So deep in myself, I became displaced. A journey through my body. Who lives there? Cells, memories, stories. What stories are within my spine? Voice. Voice. Voice. When does the cell become the body and a happening, become a memory and cry become a song?

The journey, the summoning. Who lives there? Arriving on site. An imagined space, the journey through the mountains where I have been waiting, the mountaintop deep within myself. The river calls to me, calls me to this place. To wash, to give, to surrender. To wash away the pain, the shame and the silence. The river floor washed away what had become of me and then I stomped the violence. I opened my hip, and my torno became free, unhinged. My voice became free, and I finally spoke. I broke the silence and my voice, echoed. My cry became a song, my stomp the rhythm, and my torno free. I became me, As I am Naturally.