After (Out)Growing Pains, Sesa is ready for a second creation.
In February 2026, she participated in the “Shared Research, Shared Practices” residency (in collaboration with MESTIZO ARTS PLATFORM, Monty, Rataplan, c o r s o, and detheatermaker). Over the course of three weeks, three artists conducted individual research into their own artistic practices as well as a collaborative study on how to conduct research (peer reviews with Nata Mandaria (via MAP) and Mira Maria Studer (via detheatermaker)), led by MAP & detheatermaker.
During this residency, Sesa focused on developing a methodology and refining some key guidelines for her research, and she enlisted artists such as Noémie Ntoto (Mimi Waterfall), Junior Akwety, and Calya J. as artistic collaborators. In September, she kicked off the brand-new residency collaboration between MAP and De Singel and dove back into the next phase of her research.
Through the stories of her foremothers and her Congolese heritage—specifically the musical traditions of the Otetela peoples from the Kasaï and Sankuru regions—she explores themes such as femininity, identity, and resilience through rhythm, song, and lyrics. This research combines genealogy, music, and poetic expression into a quest for origins, identity, and collective healing.
ON_OFF_SPACE turned out to be the ideal place at just the right time to pick up where we left off after a short break.
"I am very satisfied with the residency I had at ON_OFF_SPACE. It was a nice follow-up to the Shared Residency from earlier this year. I felt more confident in my research, which allowed me to take a more strategic approach. From analyzing music and conducting interviews—which went more and more smoothly—to drawing up a family tree that goes back to my great-great-grandparents and figuring out the structure of my new project: I can’t complain about how productive this residency has been. It was a period during which I was able to make significant progress in my research and in which various separate elements began to come together more and more."
Sefora Sam, known as Sesa, is a spoken-word artist, poet, musician, and performer from Antwerp. She has published poetry collections and is the founder of Break Free Babes, a community that uses art to facilitate collective healing for women. Sesa combines poetry, music, and performance to explore themes such as love, trauma, self-acceptance, and female strength. Her style is authentic, rhythmic, and emotionally charged, often in collaboration with other musicians. She creates spaces where vulnerability and growth come together.
