Parapanda Theatre Lab
Country Tanzania Genres roots traditional Festival Sauti za Busara 2006 Parapanda Theatre Lab (PTL), popularly known as Parapanda Arts, is based in the outskirts of Dar es Salaam. It is probably the nation's leading theatre organisation, whose broad objective is to promote theatre in Tanzania. The word parapanda is derived from a Kiswahili word meaning a traditional music instrument used to alert members of the community. This instrument could be likened to a modern trumpet. The Organisation bears this name to give force to the function of theatre in contemporary Tanzania.
Lab is a short form of Laboratory, indicating the organisation's commitment to experimentations of various theatrical forms.
The group was started by two theatre students of the University of Dar es Salaam; Mr Mgunga Mwa Mnyenyelwa and Ms Mona Mwakalinga.
Parapanda distinguishes itself from other theatre practitioners by its original narrative theatre based in story telling, poetry and music. For ten years now, Parapanda has been dealing with crosscutting issues from political to cultural with verve and innovation.
Some of their successful productions over the past five years include "Kilio cha Ardhi" (A cry for land); "Tangulia Mwalimu" (Swahili poetry album which ended up winning 2000 TANZANIA MUSIC AWARD; "Shujaa wa Jando"; "Bin Adam wa Damu"; "Mfalme Juha" and "Wimbo wa Nyonga".
The group has toured extensively, performing in Zanzibar, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.
Algeria Angola Australia Austria Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Comoros Congo Côte d'Ivoire Denmark DRC Egypt eSwatini Ethiopia Far East Finland France Gambia Germany Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Iraq Japan Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Morocco Mozambique Namibia Netherlands Nigeria Norway Pan Africa Pemba Puerto Rico Reunion Rwanda Senegal Seychelles Somaliland South Africa Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Uganda UK USA Various Yemen Zambia Zanzibar Zimbabwe
acoustic acrobats afrobeat band blues bongo flava coastal comedy dance dj electro fusion hiphop jazz kidumbak pop reggae rock roots rumba spiritual spoken word taarab traditional urban zenji flava