Hip Hop Meets Surinamese Dance (14+)

Let yourself be transported to Bendekonde, a Surinamese village, where Georgetina, the 'kabiteni' (captain), is at the helm. Her singing and stories, combined with the energetic hip-hop and Surinamese Awasa dance of the four other outspoken performers, form the heartbeat of KABITENI. They take you into the story of the village against a backdrop of visuals filmed in the interior of Suriname. The performance is surrounded by eclectic, warm, and rousing compositions, inspired by hip-hop, Awasa rhythms, and life by the river.

This way, you'll feel like a real 'kabiteni' and experience the challenges that the tough Georgetina faces. She has to balance between tradition and innovation, between how things always were and how they are now. With this, she is safeguarding the future of her community, which once resisted slavery. The performance translates this resistance and strength into today's vibrant hip-hop culture.

KABITENI energetically brings together a unique history, culture, and innovation in a rich mix of music, spoken word, dance, and visuals.

Play period: November 2025 to February 2026

The Theaterkrant:

“Thus, hip-hop seamlessly integrates forms that flourished within the Maroon community. (...) The performance itself becomes a river of relentless dance, a current whose accelerations, changes of direction, tides, waves, and splashes invite the audience to simply let themselves be carried away by the original moves this group displays. (...) A performance as a gift."

The Volkskrant:

"As Suriname commemorates the 50th anniversary of its independence, Marengo is contributing by passing on Georgetina's voice to new generations of hip-hop artists."

Photos: Bart Grietens

About the creators

KABITENI was created by hip-hop theatre pioneers Lloyd Marengo (choreography) and Marjorie Boston (direction), with assistance from B-Boy Dietrich Pott. In 2022, Marengo won the Golden Swan and Pott won the Young Swan. Boston is the artistic director of Right About Now.

The charismatic 'kabiteni' is portrayed by Angelika Naingie, known for the theatrical performance 'Traces of Her'. The performers have also made their mark. For example, Kevin Thompson previously danced for the Dutch National Ballet and ISH, Djinti Sullivan played the lead role in 'Giselle' by Toneelmakerij & Dox, Ciara Hiwat shone in POWER which won the BNG Bank Prize, and both Ciara Hiwat and Uhr'lice Rosaria received a scholarship from the Vanden Ende Foundation.