ESSOMBA BILOA Arlette

The disappearance of a dear or a close relative is always a traumatic experience that causes a strong pain which is often present throughout life. Pain is the topic presented here by a victim of this unavoidable spectrum called 'Dikun' in Bafia, a language from the centre of Cameroon in Africa. This performance is the occasion for the author through this artwork to express her suffering, her pain, her sadness since the death of her mother when she was only 11 years old. With simple, fluid, harmonious, slow but rhythmic movements ; in a style called "afro - contemporary", the author scenes her feelings. The performance is a reflection of the battle which takes place in her, because whenever she thinks she is free of her torments, pain outbreaks, strong, hard, relentless. The absence of a mother is a too heavy a weight but something, sometimes, we must live with, keeping your head held high and staying strong every day and know how to manage the pain instead of running away.

Biloa Essomba Arlette is 27 years old and was born in Cameroon Central Africa, her mother died when she was 11 years old, however, a few years later her daughter was born giving her new hope. After leaving school early she discovered a passion for dancing, another way of expressing herself. And in 2006, she began to dance with a traditional group named Ma Nkoussou from the Republic of Congo. After many dance opportunities, especially those within her country, Cameroon, she decided to create a style of traditional dancing for herself, creating her own dance group named Abok Minem which she herself choreographs. Her group was created with the Voix en Choeur association which helps orphans and abandoned children discover their artistic talents towards dance, music, song, playing music instruments, some of which are part of Biloa’s dance group.