|
JOBS | INSURANCE | PROPERTY | SHOPPING |
|
|
THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Mar 15 2010 08:11 | LAST UPDATED Mar 15 2010 08:11 |
|
The ghost of the fragile government of national unity in Zimbabwe hovers over the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in Woza Joshua! -- a production directed by Warren Nebe, head of the department of Dramatic Art at Wits University. Featuring masters students Bheki and Clayton Ndlovu, the play is an adaptation of Woza Albert!, originally produced by Barney Simon, Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngema. Written and performed in the dark days of apartheid, the production anticipated a saviour descending to save South Africans from their taskmasters. The two actors play multiple roles -- a street vendor eking out a living on the streets of Zimbabwe and an exiled prostitute in South Africa -- as well as Zimbabwe's principal protagonists: Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe. "One of the questions the play asks is: has Zimbabwe fallen into the murky waters of artificial freedom that comes about as a result of political marriages of convenience and compromise?" the director says in the play's production notes. The play is faithful to current political developments and shows Tsvangirai in the West, begging bowl in hand, courting foreign investors. In the background is the sly, manipulative figure of Mugabe, played passably by Clayton Ndlovu, who forces Tsvangirai to read from Zanu-PF's prepared script. Woza Joshua! seems to be saying that Mugabe eventually manages to convert his opponents and co-opt them into his government. This happened with the late nationalist Joshua Nkomo, who signed a unity deal with Mugabe in 1987 that led to dissidents laying down their arms. The actors seem to be saying that the situation won't improve in Zimbabwe unless there is real change. The present arrangement, like the one before it, might just be another pact between elites. The acting could have been better and there was scope for the actors to inhabit their characters more naturally; but it's an interventionist production that has the potential to start an important dialogue.  CONTINUES BELOW TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Comments
click here to log in
M&G Online Comment Guidelines In Brief
Advertising Links
|
Find all your Unisa books you require for your studies and get them delivered right to your doorstep!
It's sale time again with fantastic savings on 1 000s of titles. Get some of the best books at discounted prices now.
46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray Dics to choose from. Get up to 60% off at the Orange Sale.
100s of new releases now in stock! Sade, Foo Fighters, John Mayer & more!
Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!
AdvertisementsAdvertising links |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0 comments
Make us your home page | Add our headlines to your site | Desktop news with NewsFlash
Contact us | About us | Story tip-offs | Online advertising | Print advertising | Subscriptions | Topics A-Z | Corrections | Mobile sites
All material © Mail & Guardian Online. Material may not be published or reproduced in any form without prior written permission.
Read the site privacy policy and Ispa code of conduct relating to our blog hosting.
RSS feed
This site is proudly hosted by Internet Solutions. We are a member of the Online Publishers Association.
Contact us | About us | Story tip-offs | Online advertising | Print advertising | Subscriptions | Topics A-Z | Corrections | Mobile sites
All material © Mail & Guardian Online. Material may not be published or reproduced in any form without prior written permission.
Read the site privacy policy and Ispa code of conduct relating to our blog hosting.
RSS feed
This site is proudly hosted by Internet Solutions. We are a member of the Online Publishers Association.
 |  |  |