When I Think of Paradise: When I Think of Paradise is more than just a dance film  it’s a reflection, a political statement, and a deeply personal meditation on the historical and structural forces that shape our lives in post-independence Africa.

a conceptually and artistically profound dance film that serves as both a standalone work and a thread in the tapestry of Ssempijja’s broader artistic practice. Each of Ssempijja’s projects builds on the last, forming a continuum of inquiry into the legacies of colonialism, the structures of dependency, and the possibilities for a liberated African future. This work, created in collaboration with Kato Brovin, emerges as an artistic statement a searing reflection on the decolonial impulse that resonates deeply across the continent today.

We are here because the future cannot build itself. If we don’t begin to question what we have accepted, we risk becoming the very problem we’re trying to solve.

So we must ask ourselves:

How do we break free from bad leadership, from dependency, from inherited systems that no longer serve us?

If we fail to do this work, future generations will ask of us:

With all your education and exposure, why did you let history repeat itself?

Why does this keep happening?

the logic of dependency  implanted during colonialism and kept alive after it plays a huge role.

The film confronts the confluence of past and present histories, serving as a stark reminder of the legacies of violence that continue to shape post-independence African societies. It asks a pressing question: How do we break free from the cycles of bad leadership and dependency that have plagued our continent since the so-called independence wave of the 1960s? Ssempijja frames this inquiry with a sense of urgency: “We are here because the future can’t build itself. If we start looking at things with a critical eye, we can avoid repeating the same mistakes as our ancestors.” Without such reflection, future generations will hold us accountable, questioning why, with all our education and exposure, we allowed history to repeat itself.

Performed with a blend of movement and narrative, When I Think of Paradise is both a lament and a call to action. It challenges viewers to confront the systemic forces that perpetuate dependency and to imagine a future where African nations can forge their own paths, free from the shadows of colonial influence. As part of the larger project It’s All Forgotten Now: A Performative Mixtape for Mark Fisher by Company Christoph Winkler, this dance film continues Ssempijja’s ongoing collaboration with Winkler.

This project encapsulates the core questions that drive Ssempijja’s body of work: How do we reclaim our narratives? How do we break free from systemic oppression to build a paradise of our own making? By weaving personal experience with political critique, When I Think of Paradise invites audiences to reflect on their role in shaping a decolonial future one where the mistakes of the past are not destined to repeat.