Community, Care, Culture: Cave Live Lounge
Image: Hannah Oliver
Drenched in a soothing haze of purple and orange lights, the Roundhouse’s studio theatre opened its doors for an intimate night of reflection, laughter, music and poetry. Through the eyes, minds and souls of a community ignited by love, creativity and faith, an eager audience slowed down for Cave Live Lounge - a night inspired by the 13th century Persian poet, Jalaluddin Rumi.
With creativity and community at its core, Cave Live Lounge is a regular event run by Rumi’s Cave, a collective based in North-West London; Rumi’s Cave has over 10 years in service, bringing together 1000 local and international guests per week through its kitchen and care initiatives that serve the most vulnerable, and a range of social programming and retreats. On this night, GIFTED experienced Cave Live Lounge - a safe space of community, cultures and an exploration of identity.
Before the show, a calming hum in the auditorium raised a spiritual frequency. Harmonic, soulful soundscapes were set by London-based Somali artist FaceSoul (aka Faisal Salah), as the audience trickled in. Angelic voices, as if calling on the heavens, filled the space as host Rakaya Fetuga, a radiant light, welcomed performers like Fatima G Elrify, Sagal Gabay, Neimo Askar, Neelofer Nova, Chifaa to take the stage.
Image: Hannah Oliver
These women were grounded examples of strength and grace. Published author Fatima G Elrify opened, fusing poetry to music as she, “Walked the desert to wash the city off [her] feet”. In this vein, we too were encouraged to do the same - to be led through the desert of our collective consciousness in a purposeful act of defiance. This night became a symbol of hope - despite systems of oppression in a concrete Western world, voices of women, people of faith, storytelling and cultural celebration became a radical act of connection. Post-covid, care is community.
As we held space, singer and spoken word artist Milli-Rose Rubin encouraged us to exhale as she powerfully shared about her experiences as a young woman walking home alone at night: “I’m gonna walk, not run…” Actress and poet Chifaa echoed sentiments of being a young woman, lyrically meandering through topics like the rejection felt in unrequited love and the heaviness of witnessing domestic violence with sharp wit and depth. Chifaa’s lightness in tone also hit deep with honesty: ‘Hungry for your love ‘cos I was feeding on my flaws…”
Image: Hannah Oliver
Tensions around rejection and love, juxtaposed with the celebration of Morocco’s run in the 2022 World Cup was echoed in Mohamed Mohamed’s moment in the spotlight. Despite a young child running onto the stage during his performance, Mohamed held his own, a living example of humility and the importance of communal spaces to hold space for non-judgement and fluidity. The young girl’s freedom was a reminder of light, joy and play, as we listened intently to stories from our human shadows. Mohamed continued to share a poem centred around his mum and her hoarding habits, ‘holding on like lovers on mornings’; for children of immigrants, this image of mothers clinging onto objects that represent what once was is all too familiar. The act becomes symbolic of an attempt to preserve memories of people, places and time during a transitional period of change, uncertainty and survival. Each performer breathed in another layer of responsibility - to share stories, to be seen, heard and understood became a healing moment in time. Through a shared experience, we could acknowledge our mothers’ burdens, whilst sharing the load and releasing ourselves of the pressure to hoard too.
The presence of mothers weaved through other stories, like through the poems of British Somali poet, Neimo Askar. Neimo shared airy anecdotes, one being how her mother remembers Princess Diana. Neimo’s dove-like presence was a breeze of peace and courage, as she also shared the challenge of slowly losing one’s hearing, weaving humour and heartbreak with effortless effort. Transparency opened up permission for us all to relax further, as we experienced another wave of compassion and community.
Image: Hannah Oliver
Neelofer Nova reached further up her matriarchal lineage, acknowledging her ancestors and reminding us to make sure that we are proud of our reflections: “Where do you worship when your mother’s feet no longer walk the earth?”
Musician Mohammed Salih played his guitar in hypnotic, trance-like cycles, transporting us within towards the spirals of our thoughts. From Jamaica to Malaysia, Morocco to Somalia, the many cultural iterations represented that evening felt familiar, indicative of a thriving London melting pot gathered at the Roundhouse. Everyone was welcomed and embraced at Cave Live Lounge. Like a night filled with fireside stories, we collectively caught a glimpse of creativity, love and faith and walked out into the night enlightened by Rumi's legacy of community.
Intrigued by Cave Live Lounge? They’re back with another open mic on August 26th. See here.
NEWS: The Roundhouse has announced a new partnership with Daniel Kaluuya, including a new role as Associate Artistic Director. After attending drama classes at the Roundhouse 20 years ago, he has returned full circle, establishing youth theatre company ‘Centre 59’ as a pathway for young people to gain experience and build networks. Read more here.
For full details on upcoming events at The Roundhouse, see here.
