THEATRE: Hiding in the dark Review by KEREN BANZA To the vultures hiding in the darkness, shielded by patriarchy, government systems deaf to the cries of their mothers, sisters, and children, and guarded by laws that persecute women rather than help them, “Get out of the darkness and show your face”. Hiding in the Dark, directed by Moses Lechuti, holds up a mirror to the pandemic raging against women and children in South Africa, Gender Based Violence. It laments how our society has become a breeding ground for vultures who prey on women and children, snatching away their innocence, clawing into…
Author: Rod Amner
THEATRE: KakReview by MIKE LOEWE We are searching for new voices, new movements, something, anything, because everything is kak. Now about the play, it is profoundly pleasing that Josias Dos Moleele and The Market Theatre Laboratory students have chosen a wasteland as their starting point. It’s a rubbish dump. Not a landfill management recycling net-zero-waste, carbon footprint, certified green drop-approved blah blah. It’s a shit pile. Choreographer Mdu Nhlapo, set designer Shilongane Nkoana, costume designer Nomzamo Maseko and lighting designer Sibusiso Ndumndum have chosen Armageddon on the Earth to stage their piece. Shashalaziville is where your waste people go to…
MUSIC: In Fluorescence by The FishwivesReview by STEVE KRETZMANN Good lyrics count. Yet the pundits are all surprised Kate Bush’s Running up that Hill has hit the top of the UK singles chart 38 years later. The kids recognise good pop when they hear it, even if it’s while watching Stranger Things on Netflix. Clearly, they’re being fed a lot of crap. Listen to some of the other tracks in the top five. But there are good lyrics being written. Great ones. To real music. Take the Fishwives. No warps, loops, distortions. Shit, it’s like Folk without the purists, able…
The free, daily 5 pm Sundowner Concerts at the Monument are as popular as ever. They offer a kaleidoscope of entertainment, including artists and performers doing short teasers of their shows. Come early to secure a good viewing spot. Also free are the many main and fringe exhibitions and galleries located at the Monument and across town. A number of shows are presented as public art and engagements so look out for these on the programme and when you’re out and about. Browse crafts and see the buskers at the Village Green; there are dozens of stalls and a great…
By DANA OSBORN You may not know the names Erich Siseko, Andile ‘Johnny’, and Joseph Mfundo Scott, but if you have visited The Long Table, you will know their voices. You can find these three men, come rain or shine, standing in the muted orange tones of the High Street streetlights. Placed at their feet are takeaway containers and loose change. For years, the trio has been singing outside the Long Table, a renowned restaurant and bar that opens each year during the National Arts Festival. It is a hotspot for performers and festival-goers because of its tasty food and…
By ROY LUBKE, Rhodes University Associate Professor emeritus I have lived in Grahamstown throughout the life of the National Arts Festival and became a most enthusiastic Festino in the 1980s. When it started in the 1970s, it was exceedingly small and only at the 1820 Settlers Monument, with just a few main productions. Having been to Shakespearian festivals in Stratford in Ontario, Canada, I was keen to attend Shakespearean shows in Grahamstown. However, there were many different dramatic performances even in those early days, and Shakespearean theatre has taken a backseat. The Festival came alive when the fringe opened, and…
PERFORMANCE ART: A conversation with Wezile HarmansBy MZWANDILE MAMAILA Rejection is a common yet painful experience in South Africa, where youth unemployment tops the global rankings. Wezile Harmans’s performance art is inspired by a point in his life when he was going through an emotional rollercoaster caused by an email beginning with the words, “We regret to inform you”. This phrase forms his performance title, which is highly influenced by his upbringing, surroundings, and encounters. Wezile Harmans invited festinos to talk about this process in A Conversation With Wezile Harmans as a part of NAF’s Art Fest programme. Harmans explains…
COMEDY: 3rd generation coconutReview by NONJABULO NTULI Comedian and descendant of supposed ‘coconuts’, Thato Mabelane brought the house down with her debut of personal and witty stand-up comedy. 3rd Generation Coconut recounts Mabelane’s experiences of performing and travelling around South Africa and abroad. She finds the humour in the ‘coconut’ trope, poking fun at herself and others, but ultimately shows that people’s identities can never be so simply boxed in. As most South Africans know, a coconut describes someone who is black on the outside but follows the norms and tendencies of a white person. Mabelane elaborates on this and…
DANCE-THEATRE: May I have this dance? Review by DANA OSBORN A man and a woman, almost strangers, begin a conversation. “Star Wars or Star Trek,” the man asks. “Star Trek,” she answers. “No, No, NO! Star Wars is the best space movie of all time.” This may seem like a rather futile disagreement, but what about an argument on the validity of marriage? How about a dispute on having children or religious beliefs? What if two people had completely different backgrounds, divergent interests, varying levels of privilege and clashing priorities? Can a couple succeed if they fundamentally disagree on life? This…
FILM: Dying to be humanReview by ELEJHA-ZE GENGAN As you sit, entirely encased by darkness, it is just you and your lost sense of sight and the feeling of anticipation coursing through your veins. Everything feels empty, and before the darkness fully wraps itself around you, it is broken by the sounds of an individual struggling, fighting to make their way out of the deep ocean. Every day we are exposed to an array of difficulties that can feel like waves crashing onto us, one after another. Our world becomes an ocean which can drown us or those around us. Being…