South Africa's talent fusion makes celebration a bang

 “I AM AN AFRICAN-I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains, the rivers, the deserts, the trees the flowers, the seas and the ever changing seasons that define the face of our native land”. These words by former president Thabo Mbeki reverberates in the theatre play entitled KETEKANG – loosely translated from Sepedi/Setswana, which means celebration. The ‘I’m An African’  speech he delivered on the 8^th of May 1996 in Cape Town gives substance to the play and contrasts the dawn of democracy with the celebrations that happened almost two decades ago. The production features Aubrey Poo, Nokukhanya Dlamini and assortment of talented musicians, choreographers and poets that give the twenty years of democracy celebration a bang.

Nokukhanya Dlamini, Aubrey Poo, Caroline Borole, Dionne Song, Lebo Toko, Lesedi Job, Sonia Radebe, Vuyelwa Maluleke and Zimkitha Kumbaca ©Ruphin Coudyzer

A fusion of music and theatre from the directorship of James Ngcobo has become a norm so much so that when one watch “KETEKANG” its musicality was not unexpected. Spoken word, songs, dance, historical citations, theatre and fashion are entwined in one play to celebrate the 20 years of democracy in South Africa. Viewers are yet reminded of socio-cultural ties between South Africa and America by some of the American songs sung in the play.

Ngcobo’s play moves; it ranges through questions about life and death, poverty and luxury and the worth and purpose of each; the bridge between the rich and the poor and the race between racial trivialities. The show also explores the public service delivery unrests, embodied by the young and talented Katlego Letsholonyana, in his monologue- “This country is preaching 20 years of democracy, we are preaching years of hunger and poor service delivery. All places that used to belong to Bophuthatswana that were burned down and destroyed belong to the new South African government. It is only our township, our poor township that was never reconstructed”. Dead certain about the meaning of the loaded questions, he continued- “What about us small communities? Only big cities are being taken care of.  Why? Because they boost the economy of this country, they argue. What about us? Rae batla complex man, Rae batla complex mo Itsoseng” – We want a complex too; we want a complex here in Itsoseng.

The production deals with countless aspects of everyday life of South Africans, from apartheid to freedom, from politics to academics, spoken word to music, poverty to migration, from mine worker to a domestic worker, from foreman to commander –in-chief. Watching the play is like reliving the dark days of apartheid and appreciating the sacrifices made by those who came before us – at the same time it allows one to reflect on the idea of the new democratic South Africa whether it has been delivered on the ideals of the liberation or deviated from them.

After having staged and penned a number of musical productions such as Songs of Migration (2011) and Sunjata (2012), that had put more bums on seats than ever before, Ngcobo is back on a director’s cap with a resounding piece- suffice to say Percy Zvomuya, arts critic, described Ngcobo as ‘one of those directors with a restless spirit and wide-eyed curiosity’. As a director, Ngcobo succeeded in curating this play because he afforded balance between the emerging voices and the established voices.

The director uses the political elements from the bygone era to ground the play: this is seen in his use of music such as when he used the late Miriam Makeba’s song “Hauteng”. By doing this, Ngcobo makes reference to the repetitive nature of South African struggles. There is a measure of other South African official languages that give the play a proudly South African feel. It is a play brimful of history, humour, terror, unity, movement, sarcasm, heroism, evolution, revolution, thirst and hunger for good fortunes.

Vuyani Dance Theatre Crew, Image provided by Market Theater ©Ruphin Coudyzer

The play will resonate with you long after you have watched it, I bet you would not mind watching it every day - because almost every cast in the production can sing tears down your jawbone. This array of young black poets personifies the discourse of the lack of cultural wealth in modern day Mzansi Africa. This play’s cast presents these themes in a manner that gives voice to the voiceless.  The rhythmic interplay between vernac and English gives this play power and pace making it easy for an audience across race, creed and religion to grasp. There are many other reasons why you should make a trip to Market Theatre to see this play which end its runs till the 14 December 2014.

By Khehla Chepape Makgato, Newtown, South Africa, November 2014