Gumboot Trio

The Gumboot Trio, part of the cultural community Vana Ba Afrika, comprises three women: Zandile from South Africa, Adjoua from Ghana, and Njeri from Kenya. They perform the Gumboot dance, which originated in South Africa’s gold mines, where workers used the rubber boots, which they were forced to wear by white factory owners (known as ‘gumboots’) to communicate, as they were forbidden to speak. By striking the ground, the boots produce powerful sounds combined with rhythmic dance steps, becoming a means of resistance and expression.

The Gumboot Trio fosters female solidarity and showcases African cultural heritage through music and dance, highlighting the union of body and sound as a symbol of strength and resistance.