The collaboration between Jim Parris and Xumo Nounjio continues with the formation of Nzi Dada. Jim and Xumo met in 1997 and have been creating together since then. Their work aims to reflect a joint interest in ancient African tradition whilst at the same time being fashioned by the practices
of modern creativity.

'....... from a Bantu perspective the person who plays the music may have also made the masks and contributed to organising the ceremony.'

In the traditional African context for art, a multiplicity of art forms is the norm. By combining music, performance, sculpture and video, Nzi Dada explore this context and appropriate it as part of contemporary practice.

In 2001 they performed for the first time as a band in the UK to a capacity crowd at the Contact Theatre at the X.trax festival in Manchester. They regularly appear in the UK and internationally with their indoor show 'Optional Groove and Functional Music' and in summer 2004 began performing a specially commissioned outdoor show 'Ritual Imaginaire'.

Check the X.trax website for video footage from a Ritual Imaginaire performance.