EXHIBITION: Marikana Ten Years OnReview by CASEY LUDICK After weeks of conflict, heavily armed police opened fire on striking workers at Lonmin Mines in Marikana on August 16, 2012. Of the 112 miners shot, 34 were killed, leaving 78 severely wounded. Some of the miners killed were not just shot; they were executed. Each one was part of a family: someone’s father, son, husband, lover. And what happens to the families who were left behind? What happens when the cameras leave and the tears dry up? This is the question Marikana Ten Years On seeks to answer and, in so…
Author: Rod Amner
THEATRE: The Gukurahundi Genocide (TGG)Review by CASEY LUDICK The sangoma cries as she remembers the fallen, the victims of the wars happening in South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1982. She illuminates the dead by candlelight as her daughter, bathed in blue light, calls out to the fallen. “The storm is coming,” warn the survivors of liberation struggles, but as they go to sit down, the soldiers around them begin laughing, and one survivor’s mind crumbles. The Gukurahundi Genocide (TGG) is a hard-hitting theatrical performance dealing with the realities of war. It looks at major events and key figures that have…
MAGIC: ImpossibleReview by MZWANDILE MAMAILA Art can be expressed in various ways, and magic tricks tend to be one of its more popular forms. Illusionist Brendon Peel mesmerizes his audience with a one-hour show of mind-blowing tricks called Impossible. Styled in pointed shoes and a red waistcoat, Peel maintains the image of a miracle-maker. With people camping on the stairway, extra seats shoved onto the stage and others lurking in during the show, Masonic Hall has been jam-packed for Peel’s performances. “It’s a full house; we are lucky we got tickets”, one man thought aloud with relief. It’s not every…
THEATRE: GqwirhaReview by SONIA SAJJABI What timely load-shedding. The witches have just begun to chant. Despite being bathed in darkness, they continue their incantations. Directed by Peabo Embrose Athenkosi, Gqwirha is a story of a young man who unwittingly becomes a victim of a secret society’s life insurance scam. The five women in the coven of witches, who have successfully gotten away with murder and pulled off scams in the past, won’t make an exception for this case. With their unsettling gazes, screeches, and chants, the witches send chills down the spines of audience members, some people exclaiming in both…
THEATRE: KgethoReview by Nonjabulo Ntuli Ideally, journalists are truth seekers. But, what if the journalist has their own secret? Kgetho is a story about Kgotso, a journalist trying to find out more about a missing person called Joe. Through his investigations, we discover that Joe was a charming two-timer with a committed relationship with two women. And, Kgotso’ss character later reveals some other jaw-dropping revelations. Kgetho’s debut at the National Arts Festival was fantastic. The charming characters kept the audience constantly laughing with their witty statements and dramatic facial reactions. The performers had undeniable chemistry, especially in scenes where they…
THEATRE: South African PiecesReview by Jenna Kretzmann To the left, a man could be spotted standing, eyes closed on a rostrum, hands rung around his neck. Placed centre stage is a man in a wheelchair, head drooped, eyes closed and dressed in a white-and-purple signature Rhodes overall. The lights fade. A third actor appears dressed as a priest, clutching a Bible. “Where is this play going,” I wonder. South African Pieces was first performed in 2017 at the Makana Drama Development Festival (MDDF), where it won runner-up. Today it graces the outskirt stage, Masonic Front, during the 2022 National Arts…
By SIYAMTHANDA PONGCO AND LIKHAPHA THAATHAA The Long Table is the culinary heart of the National Arts Festival. The eponymous tables are arranged invitingly in parallel along the length of St George’s Hall in the fashion of medieval banquet hall. The walls creak with art, candles in tins warm the colourful tablecloths, the cosy bar is decorated with African print clothing. The food is reasonably-priced, freshly prepared and utterly delicious – an abundant daily cornucopia of soups, salads, pastries, enchiladas, Thai curries and more. At the front of the queue at The Long Table. Photo: Siyamthanda Pongco Thousands of festinos -…
By LIEZL HUMAN, GroundUp Civil society organisations are taking the government to court over what they say are “unfair” and “exclusionary” regulations for the R350 Social Relief of Distress Grant.They want the current regulations declared unconstitutional and set aside.They are also opposed to the “arbitrary means test”, which excludes many vulnerable people who qualified for the grant previously. Under the new regulations, grant applicants are disqualified if they earn more than R350 a month.The Institute for Economic Justice’s lawyers has also sent a letter of demand to the state to address, with urgency, concerns over the unpaid SRD grants since April…
THEATRE: StratengReview by DAVE MANN The sense of place is immediate. There is the sour rot of refuse, the acrid smell of burning plastic. Endless stretches of cold, hard concrete. A street sign signals a dead-end, something of an omen. It’s weekend in the city, and on the streets, some have it harder than others. This is the world you’re met with as you walk into Strateng at the Monument’s Rehearsal Room. It’s an effective opener and in their stillness, the group of destitute addicts that populate the story occupy this evocative scene, languishing in a collective come down. A street vendor…
DANCE: CorponomyReview by DAVE MANN The gallery space is filled with the body in motion. It’s an interesting scene – a series of screens surrounding a silvered plinth. Light flickers off the walls, and figures posture and perform through the glass. For Eisa Jocson, who usually features in dance programmes, it is a unique opportunity to showcase her work in the form of an installation. Corponomy comes to the Monument Gallery as a neatly curated installation, and the videos on exhibition do well to contextualise her engagement with dance as research, training, and meaning-making. The artist herself has yet to arrive…