1. Perform -
Starting from nothing the Griot begins to tell his story, calling everything into being through the holy act of performing.
 
 
 

3. Before this story
Still in preparation of the actual performance, the Griot refers to the most remote, obscure, undecipherable past. He implores far-off images and evokes a chorus of voices (‘helpful in some way’), which fall into the repetitious pattern of a ritual chant.
4. Composition of elements
An age-old creation myth narrates the transition from undefined time-space to tangible matter. Dancers appear successively depict the creation and transformation of one element into the next – stone becomes iron becomes fire becomes water becomes air.
 
 
2. But how?
The story teller grappling to find a beginning; first hesitant steps by calling on the perceptive forces – the senses of hearing, sight and touch – as prerequisites for any physical expression. The performance depends on their perception: “It takes an ear to give you voice…”
 
 
6. Balancing forces
Transition to the world of shadows: what has gone out of bounds – man’s pride - is limited as blindness, sleep, sorrow and death leave their mark. These forces make their appearance as archetypal symbols in the form of huge masks. The journey of transitions comes to a preliminary end as the masks themselves are struck by death, reducing them to frozen forms - suitable museum exhibits.  
  
 
5. Amalgamation
Transition from dead matter to spirited consciousness, synthesis of disparate singular parts: the elements amalgamate to create man. However, far from being the crown of creation he is a rather quirky and fallible fellow, time and again running with unsustainable enterprises, which time and again lead to dead ends.
 
   
   
 
 
7. Scholarly discussion
Marius Liebenberg, the curator proudly shows his much cherished collection of masks to two visiting anthropologists. Their intellectual, pseudo-academic discourse allows only for a perception of the masks as valuable trophies or rare artefacts. Under no account may they be touched, and consequently, the scholars are not touched by the masks.
  
8. The great divide
In an overt juxtaposition of Western and African perception, Liebenberg’s injudicious intellectual enthusiasm is gently put to place by the Griot’s comments. He recounts Part Two of the creation myth as it unfolds once again, before his eyes with the scholars and the masks: God made blindness…
  
9. Masked Pavane
Instrumental interlude and reflection on the second occurrence of ‘death’ in the style of a processional Baroque dance.
   
   
 
     
10. Master Fula
The Griot’s perception of the masks altogether changes the atmosphere of the scene. He touches them one by one, thereby lifting the spell and reviving them. The masks wake up and begin to tell their stories, once again accompanied by their specific instruments. Slowly a fragmented image of their spiritual world emanates. Initially they still move stiffly and formally, personifying archetypal identities respectively, but soon they loosen up and assume ordinary human traits.
11. Maskanda Indaba
The spell of being cast into a exclusively representative, traditional role has been cast off fully. Nomfama, Buthongwana, Ntzisi and Nokufa take note of each other and engage in a lively discussion about their dilemma of being trapped in an unknown place and how to proceed from here.
12. The resolution
Inspired by the recollection of anancient prophecy, they decide to escape and find a way home.
 
 
13. Blind encounter
Their journey takes the masks to the station again, where Nomfama (Blindness) meets a blind street musician discordantly strumming away on his guitar in a subway station. Initial mockeries eventually lock the two into a conversation where they begin to listens to each other and realize their mutual fate.
  
14. Fortune lost
Nomfama’s story, giving account of her misfortune due to her outspoken criticism of the misuse of power in traditional hierarchic society. Pushed into the role of uncomfortable seer, we learn that she was apparently exiled.
  
15. Sam’s story
Sam’s tale of opportunism, utilitarian influences, pursuit of quick riches and the resulting betrayal of his vocation. Instead of following his ancestral line and become a Griot, he has been floating around and now prefers to hide in obscurity. His singing remains meaningless and fruitless.

 

16. Griot’s song
Thanks to Nomfama’s unyielding persistence Sam finally overcomes his shame and insecurity and resumes to sing a song in the traditional style of a praise singer. This causes a dramatic stir in the previously inattentive crowd at the station.
 
17. Apprehension
African scene. The typical audience’s spontaneous response to a spirited traditional performance: unlimited enthusiasm, bursting of all set forms, uninhibited participation. The African musicians leave the orchestra pit and spontaneously join the Griot in celebration of his newfound voice.
However, at its peak the party is drastically cut short by a raid of dark figures, who suddenly take to the stage, enforcing law and order in the public space of the train station and apprehending Sam and Nomfama.
   

18. Reverberations
Remnants of the previous Pavane emerge in the aftermath of the screaming orchestra sounds accompanying the apprehension. The third occurrence of death and destruction is once again somberly reflected in an instrumental interlude, gradually fading away into desolation.
 
   
 
 
19. Placing an order
On his journey Buthongwana finds himself in a fast food joint where he tries to get some decent traditional African food. Sonia, being the helpful waiter, cannot in any way serve him anything appropriate.
 
20. To sleep and not to sleep
Instead, they begin to talk. She tells him, that she cannot sleep for having to work night shifts. She dreams of another existence, ‘with innocent charms,
pristine nature and cultures close to mysteries of old!’
  
21. The Kingdom of Somnolence
He in turn tells her that he is condemned to sleep all the time, fate having decreed that he be punished for not having been wakeful enough.
22. The Abduction
He goes on tell her a story of African masks, which where stolen from their native village by foreign visitors and were subsequently exhibited as mere displays in an anthropological museum.

23. Recognition
Finally he reveals himself to her as being one of the very mask he was talking about.
 
24. Discovering the loss
Liebenberg discovers that his masks are gone. This seemingly inexplicable loss comes as a severe shock, as it implies the annulment of his life’s task and brings him close to a nervous breakdown. In his desperation as he clutches the remaining mask, thereby - accidentally – lifting its spell.
  
25. Delusory voice
Phakade’s revival is a further shock for Liebenberg, unacceptable to his scientific mind.  For the first time, however, he is confronted with this ‘other’ reality. Phakade introduces himself as the force ‘that causes and inspires change’. Accordingly the pattern of the Kuduhorn ensemble accompanying him gradually draws the full orchestra into an accelerating vortex, culminating in Phakade’s ‘revival riff’. This is interrupted by a phone call from the policeman, who whishes to enquire, why several arrested illegals claim to have fled from the museum.
  
 
 
 
 
26. Conflicting interests
As the praise-singing party apprehended at the station is about to get locked up, Nomfama expresses her severe indignation at the brutal arrest in a in a fit of temper let loose on the policeman. Just then Liebenberg arrives and – having regained his composure - similarly attacks him on mistaking skillfully crafted artifacts for illegal immigrants. The controversy between the collector’s and the immigration authority’s standpoint come to the fore as Liebenberg insists that the masks be returned to the collection, while the policeman maintains that the suspects be deported. Tension rises as both adamantly defend their stance.
  
27. Reconnection
True to his role as mediator, trickster, translator, facilitator of change, Phakade disperses the argument as he steps between Liebenberg and the Policeman. He suggests that the real issue lies on an altogether different level. He intones a ritual chant and forces Liebenberg to touch the other masks as well. One by one they come alive again and all fall into the chant, which gradually becomes so forceful, as to overwhelm Liebenberg’s skepticism as well as the prison’s confines.
The similarity of events to the previous revival scene – when the Griot was touching of the masks – fully brings back Sam’s memory of his being the Griot. Thereby the Griot as initial storyteller is immersed into his own story. Solely the policeman remains unimpressed and begins to type the deportation order.
 
 
 
 
28. Interim conclusion
An open ending with mixed feelings describing the status quo as follows: the general acknowledgement for each other’s realities has improved, the mutual understanding has grown by a certain degree, however the process of recognition has only just begun...
  
 
 
 
29. We have played
The story has been told but the performance still needs to be ended. As Griot and Sam have now merged into one figure they both appear in front of the curtain to conclude the holy act of performance, call up all performers and acknowledge the audience’s part in it: ‘You were the ears that gave us voice!’