Culture

Written by JENNA JONES

Dreams have always been at the center of Somi Kakoma’s life. She was raised in Champaign, Illinois, by South African immigrants, and her family often encouraged her to dream — and never discouraged her from becoming an artist.

More famously known as simply “Somi,” the Grammy-nominated singersongwriter has crafted a musical based on her dreams. Kakoma’s first-ever musical, Dreaming Zenzile, will premiere at The Repertory Theatre (130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves), showcasing just how far Kakoma’s dreams have taken her. Originally scheduled for an April 2020 premiere date, the jazz musical was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dreaming Zenzile is now set to open this Friday.

The musical is set on the last night of Zenzile Miriam Makeba’s life. Better known as simply Miriam Makeba, Makeba was a South African singer and anti-apartheid ac-

Sheldon’s stage is now possible, the organization wants to make sure it is doing so in the safest way.

“Our amazing patrons and artists have trusted and supported us throughout the pandemic,” Palermo said in a statement. “Sheldon audiences are consistently praised by our artists as the best in the country, and we know that they will happily do their part to help us safely bring concerts back to the Sheldon.”

For those not willing to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test, refunds are available for the Sheldon.

The sixteen organizations join other venues like the Pageant and Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in requiring a COVID-19 vaccine or negative COVID test. Each venue may have slightly different requirements, so guests are encouraged to check with their specific organization on what is required to enter. Mask-wearing is also implemented in St. Louis-area venues due to mandates.

The full list of participating organizations is below: tivist. She was also involved in the U.S. civil rights movement. On the night the musical takes place, Makeba was performing in Italy. When she finished her performance, she walked into the wings of the theater, had a heart attack and died.

“I love the idea that she finished the show,” Kakoma tells the RFT. “I thought it was such a beautiful death, as tragic as that is to lose someone that major to African culture and music and jazz. It’s still such a beautiful way to go, but it’s still a decision to finish the show and then walk off.”

The musical goes through a journey with Kakoma starring as Makeba and four other actors as chorus members who double as spirits and ancestors. The chorus members have the duty of telling Makeba it is her time to go while she decides if it really is her time.

In Xhosa, Makeba’s native language, “zenzile” means “you have brought this on yourself.” Kakoma said this idea of “you have done it to yourself” brought on the conversations that Makeba and the spirits have in the musical.

“She’s deciding when she’s going to do it to herself because she always had agency,” Kakoma says. “So, they’re talking to her about her life journey and why it’s time. It takes the audience through a journey of what her life has been and what her contributions have been.”

The idea for the musical originated from dreams Kakoma had after her father died in 2009. She began having dreams of her father and Makeba having conversations, and she found comfort. In many ways, she said, the dreams of Makeba helped her move through the grief. Kakoma felt in the dreams that

Makeba helped her talk to her father “and feel at peace with my choice to be an artist.”

Five years later, Kakoma had not written or talked about the dreams she was having. In a conversation, her friend brought up that no one had told the South African activist’s story yet. A light bulb went on for the singer: Kakoma knew creating this musical was meant for her.

“Sometimes these things show up in our hearts and it’s not that, ‘Oh, this is something I want to do,’ it’s something you might feel called to do,” Kakoma said.

After that, Kakoma got to work. She applied for grants and researched Makeba’s life. Kakoma said she initially thought the piece was going to be about the conversations she had in her dreams with Makeba and her father, but realized

• The Bach Society of Saint Louis • The Black Rep • Dance St. Louis • Grand Center Inc. • Jazz St. Louis • Kranzberg Arts Foundation • Metro Theater Company • Modern American Dance Company • National Blues Museum • Opera Theatre of Saint Louis • The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis • The Sheldon Concert Hall and

Art Galleries • St. Louis Shakespeare Festival • St. Louis Speakers Series • St. Louis Symphony Orchestra • STAGES St. Louis, beginning

September 24 n a lot of Makeba’s story had not been told.

The musical brought Kakoma home to the Midwest, through a connection with Hana Sharif, the artistic director for the Rep, after the two met in Baltimore.

“When we reconnected, I was grateful that she said, ‘Maybe this is why we were connected to begin with,’’’ Kakoma says. “It’s always such a meaningful thing for a person to take a risk.”

Sharif detailed in a press release that it’s “an incredible gift to open our season with Somi’s incomparable portrayal of the beauty and complexity of Miriam Makeba’s journey.” She’s excited for St. Louisans to be the first to experience the production after eighteen months of waiting. After the musical wraps up in St. Louis, it’ll head to theaters in New York City and New Jersey.

“I’ve been carefully watching the development of this piece since its earliest stages and am thrilled to produce it as a world premiere musical in St. Louis,” Sharif said in a statement last year. “This is a true passion project for Somi, whose radiant talent will make this production unforgettable.”

Kakoma emphasized the importance of being near home for her debut musical, saying there was something really special about being able to share the musical in the Midwest. She joked that she expected her mom to arrive at the shows with a whole caravan.

The idea, Kakoma said, is that the musical asks people to dream for 90 minutes.

What started out as a musical about recurring dreams morphed into the piece that it is — an homage, a remembrance and a history lesson. After years of Makeba being erased from American history due to her marriage to Black Panther Stokely Carmichael, Kakoma hopes this prompts her audience to remember or research Makeba. “For me, what’s more important is that her story be told,” Kakoma says. “Because at the end of the day, no one is Miriam Makeba.”

Tickets range from $29 to $99. The musical runs until October 3. Anyone interested in attending can grab tickets at repstl.org. n