Mango Ritual, immersive, multi-genre performance, comes to Hastings Museum

Mango Ritual is an immersive and captivating live experience that blends poetry, live music and performed dance piece to create an artistic experience rooted in storytelling and what it means to be human, writes Jade Hylton.  Inspired by Akila Richards’ poetry pamphlet Ritual for a Mango, this performance transforms words into a dynamic ritual that invites audiences to delve into landing on earth and the lessons we learn that include a scraping a stone naked, shards of hope landing on a beach, the wisdom of a grandchild and the seeing with changed eyes a better world here and now.  

At the heart of Mango Ritual is Akila Richards herself, an award-winning poet whose lyrical words serve as both guide and narrator, leading the audience through a Spoken Word journey. Akila’ poetry is a visceral experience in voice and movement inviting listeners to engage with her words that may reflect on their own connections to ritual and memory.

The joint performance with the musicians and dancer is a treat by a remarkable line-up of talented artists hailing from a range of musical disciplines and expertise. Cuban Afro-Latin singer, songwriter and poet Adriana Lord, brings her soulful melodies  and rhythms, and her meditative sound of crystal bowls that evoke introspection and passion that reflect contemporary and musical traditions of the Caribbean. Her voice resonates deep in your bones with emotional depth. Adriana’s music weave amplifies the reverberations of Akila’s poetry.

British-Congolese vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Liz Ikamba provides a compelling fusion of sounds, blending traditional African melodies with contemporary British influences. Her versatile voice and mastery of multiple instruments allow her to create layered musical textures that serve as both atmospheric backdrop and narrative device. Liz’s contribution offers an exploration of diasporic experiences and the fluidity of cultural expression, echoing the themes embedded in the poetry.

Simone Seales, a dynamic cellist and performing artist, contributes an expressive musical dimension to the Mango Ritual narrative. Her cello’s textured, mournful and soaring tones articulate an emotional core of the journey, translating poetic imagery into sound that mingles with the depths of the listener’s inner world.

Complementing the live performance is a powerful live dance performance, interpreting  the central poem Ritual For A Mango, which adds a visual and immersive dimension to the ritual. Choreographed by Munya Muchati, a talented dancer and movement artist, the dance piece features intricate sequences that unravel the poem to its essence, embodying strength, vulnerability and the creation of life.

The layered spoken word alongside intensifies the narrative, merging the recital with a visceral response. Munya’s choreography emphasizes the physicality of the journey from lack to abundance, through his movements in  contemporary dance form. The choreography and Spoken Word alongside create a hypnotic experience that invites viewers into a fluid  space of word, music and dance punctured with silence and rhythm. The dance performance will be filmed for screening at future performances, integrating multiple art forms—poetry, music, dance and film.

The performance’s multi-layered structure allows audiences to engage on different levels, whether through the visceral impact of music, the visual storytelling of dance, or the lyrical depth of poetry. It encourages a participatory experience that not only entertains but also prompts contemplation on the universal human experience of seeking meaning in its journey that becomes a ritual.

The symbolism woven throughout Mango Ritual accentuates its thematic core. The mango, as a central image, symbolizes fertility, abundance, and cultural roots—an ode to the fruit’s significance in many traditions and its role as an everyday symbol of nourishment and joy. Mango Ritual asks us to feel, remember, acknowledge and be present with a futuristic mind as an act of honouring and embracing legacy. Looking back while moving forward in a Sankofa way, reclaiming the lessons from the past to inform the present imprinting for the future.

Audience members are invited into a sanctuary of artistic expression, where the unseen boundaries between performer and viewer dissolve to share our stories, that become a collective act of witnessing that creates belonging. The performance’s immersive quality is designed to foster a sense of togetherness, connecting our his/her-stories in the artistic expression to create an experience.

Before each performance there will be an Artist Talk where you can meet, hear some of the poems, view video clips of past work and discuss with Akila what it means to be an artist using a range of media.

Mango Ritual is more than a performance; it is an exploration of the human journey that don’t shy away from the ugly and vulnerable but also the joy and togetherness us humans so treasure. It tells stories of living, whether on the edge or hoping to live in a new skin or living a glimpse of paradise in the midst of destruction. It invites audiences to feel and be filled with their memories or simply be entertained with a unique performance of exquisite moments of music, dance and poetry, whether through the melodies of Adriana, the musical storytelling of Liz, the eclectic strings of Simone or the evocative choreography of Munya.

Akila has created and curated an unforgettable sensory journey that resonates long after the final note and images fade away. Ultimately, Mango Ritual embodies the collaboration of artists from a range of genres that create a space of connection and artistic experience.

On 3 October 2025 Mango Ritual will launch their soundscape creating an eclectic mix of music and poetry and dance. Mango Ritual are looking forward to creating a wider tour in other regions in a range of festivals and are open to speaking to venues and promoters.

 

Mango Ritual, with Akila Richards and Friends Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, 8-9.30pm, Saturday 14 June. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite – early bird tickets at £6.13 are available until the day of the performance, it says. There will be an artist’s talk at 2-3pm, tickets at £6.13 also available on Eventbrite.

There are further performances of Mango Ritual At AudioActive in Worthing on 13 June, Brighton Dome on 11 July and Towner Eastbourne on 12 July. More details here.

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