Uniting Heritage and Empowerment through Dance

Join host Tchiyiwe Chihana of African Voices Platform as she sits down with Angelina Abel, the Angolan-born, Portugal-raised choreographer and artistic director behind Sheffield’s seminal African movement company, Mulembas d’Africa. From her first immersion into a family “roda” in Luanda to founding a grassroots collective in 2009, Angelina shares how Bantu spiritual traditions (Kizomba, Semba, Kuduru) inform her radical approach to ritual, community-building, and women’s empowerment. Together, they explore cultural contrasts—from Portuguese dessert tables to Sheffield’s multicultural arts scene—and examine how those contrasts have shaped her creative vision. Angelina delves into her signature classes Afro-Weza and Kuduru, illustrating how she balances reverence for ancestral movement with space for individual expression. She recounts the triumphs and challenges of launching MAMAWE! - an Afropean dance and music festival and reflects on collaborations such as welcoming Portugal’s Allatantou Guinean dance company to Sheffield. Through stories of Global Tribe women’s workshops and masterclasses with the South Yorkshire Youth Dance Company, viewers will see how dance becomes a tool for solidarity, identity formation, and social integration.

As they discuss logistical hurdles, maintaining independence amid institutional partnerships, and her role as an associate artist in academic dialogues on migration and identity, Angelina offers an intimate look at what it takes to nurture a community-driven arts organization. Finally, she reveals her bold vision for the future - dream projects ranging from international tours to new community venues - and issues a heartfelt call-to-action for viewers to get involved: whether by taking a class, volunteering, or attending MAMAWE!.