TSHEPANG

Riveting retelling of Lara Foot Newton’s moving “Tshepang” in isiZulu an excellent production. (Review by Maurice Kort)

Headlines were made in 2001 by the brutal rape of a nine-month old baby girl, surpassed by the subsequent arrest of six men for the gang rape. They were later found to be innocent and the rape had been perpetrated by the boyfriend of the little girl's mother in whose care the baby had been left while the mother had gone out drinking in a shebeen. Lara Foot Newton, who had a daughter of about the same age at the time, used these events to write her one act play Tshepang, appropriately sub-titled Based on Twenty Thousand True Stories since this unbelievable rape of such a young child had brought to light many further acts of abuse, rape and sodomy of young children, even of a five month old baby.

Although the narrative of the play was inspired by the story and events of Baby Tshepang, and thousands like her, the town in which the play is set, the events and the characters are purely fictional and Lara Foot Newton has credited Bheki Vilakazi for his help and research in Louisvaleweg in the northern Cape, the town where the rape had occurred.

The play has been performed to great critical and public acclaim over the years since its first appearance at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown in 2003, throughout South Africa – such as the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, the Witness Hilton Arts Festival and the Ekhaya Multi Arts Centre in KwaMashu. It has also been performed in both English and Afrikaans, and overseas.

As uThemba Lethu, this hard-hitting two hander has now been translated into isiZulu by Bheki Mkhwane and brought to the stage by Mopo Productions under the deft direction of Maurice Podbrey with Bheki Mkhwane appearing opposite Ntando Cele.

The production was mounted at the Ekhaya Multi Arts Centre, KwaMashu, for an all too short season from October 2 to 5 to bring the play to the community and to give this superb intimate venue greater exposure. The aim was also to give residents of the area a taste of good theatre to expose them to this art form and encourage their attendance at other performing arts events. The play strongly deserves further and greater exposure in further venues in Durban. The Playhouse Loft Theatre would be an ideal venue and its management should rush to book the production, to the benefit of all.

Although the subject matter is so awful to contemplate, with the extent of child rape occurring in South Africa and increasing each year, this difficult subject needs to be brought into the open so that it can be considered and discussed. Tshepang does it admirably with its poetic style, metaphor and striking visual imagery and is a very powerful tool against child abuse, deserving all the attention it can get.

Both Bheki Mkhwane, who carries almost all the action and virtually all the dialogue, and Ntando Cele are both award-winning actors and they certainly don't disappoint. Bheki Mkhwane is Simon who carves wooden figures which put bread on his table and enable him to buy his cheap wine. Integral to the plot are a grass broom, a loaf of bread, a bottle of cheap wine and a nativity set which Simon brings out from under a blanket. These are works of art in their own right, bringing as the figures do a crossover into African culture. They were designed by Gerhard Marx, who was also responsible for the set.

Through Simon we get an insight to the people of the village and their life, warts and all, often with delightful humour. Ntando Cele is Ruth, the mother of Siesie, subsequently called Baby Tshepang, who spends much of the play with a small bed tied on her back with a blanket sitting on a heap of salt rubbing the salt into animal skins. Also on the set is a bed, with the village in the distance, superbly depicted by models of small houses.

Although I understand no isiZulu, Bheki Mkhwane's riveting performance had me spellbound, and indeed also the most attentive and appreciative audience of about 40 souls who braved the extremely inclement wet weather, which fortunately did not interfere with the sound during the play. One had to smile with him at his jokes and inflections, even if one did not completely understand the narrative and be moved by his acting. To add to the brilliance of his performance, Bheki Mkhwane had been involved in a serious car accident on Friday but true to the tradition of "the show must go on" and although many of his movements must have caused him great pain, this did not manifest itself in any way in either his demeanour or his performance. This adds in no small way to his excellent interpretation of the role of Simon.

Although Bheki Mkhwane carries the bulk of the play as he has all the dialogue and much of the movement over the whole stage, Ntando Cele as the mother of Tshepang has no less of a role in the two-hander and one cannot help but have her in one's sight at all times. Her body movements convey all her sadness and I was particularly impressed at how she conveys her exhaustion, purely in her body language, with her almost frantic rubbing of the salt into the animal skins. Both the actors immerse themselves completely in their roles.

Child abuse and rape don’t only form a South African problem and when the play has been performed abroad, it has elicited high praise for the subject being brought into the open by this South African play. It will be embarking on a further international tour to Canada early next year.

There will be further performances of Tshepang, at the Hexagon Theatre, Pietermaritzburg, from October 8 to 12 at 13h00 and19h00 – bookings on 033 260 5537. This will be following by three performances at the Arts & Culture Theatre at the University of Zululand on October 14 and 15 at 12h00 and 19h00 and on October 16 at 12h00 – bookings on 035 902 6501.

The production is suitable for audiences 16 years and over. Further information from Maurice Podbrey on 082 669 6432. – Maurice Kort