FREEDOM EXTRAVAGANZA

Newlands West educational theatre group completes six years of existence.

Freedom Extravaganza is an educational theatre group founded in May 2002 by artist and director Thami “TK” Khuzwayo to fight and tackle the social issues facing South African youth especially HIV/AIDS. The group has its roots in the community of Newlands West, a large township in Durban. Freedom Extravaganza comprises 24 dedicated and motivated young people practicing theatre, dance and music to empower other young people of South Africa. Most of the shows include African traditional dance, songs and music and modern choreography, all composed by the members.

“The main reason to start this positive theatre initiative was that many young people of Newlands West were starting to engage themselves in negative things such as crime and drugs, and worse of all the increasing rate of young people who were dying from HIV/AIDS,” explains TK. “A need for a change was in demand, since not much was done about the situation in our community where everyone is struggling for life.

“In South Africa more than four out of ten people are HIV positive. This number is expected to grow in the next five years. The young people are expected to be the main victims of this killer disease. Since the 1980’s, the world has become familiar with the AIDS virus. Especially in Southern Africa, the disease is taking millions of lives. As an organization with its roots in using theatre as a tool for AIDS education, we want to keep on putting energy in the fight against this disease. We want to find a fresh, strong path in which we can catch and keep the attention from the people.”

Freedom Extravaganza approaches the end of 2008 with a feeling of achievement having completed six years of its existence.

In September, they hosted the Amasiko Theatre Festival at the school hall of Riverdene which included the support of the Newlands SAPS, Newlands West Taxi Assoc, Freedom Extravaganza, and the Interfellowship Church. All the high schools in the area were invited as well as the Newlands and Westrich communities.

The highlights of the festival were two of Freedom Extravaganza’s main productions. These were: Heroes of South Africa, which covers the struggle of the past and present with a strong focus on HIV Aids, and Ntombi in the River which deals with how Zulu men used to approach women with respect in the past and how different the situation is today.

The theatre festival included a poetry section as well as a debate on the theme of whether the much-vaunted 2010 would benefit the poor.

The group then embarked on a two-week tour of Namibia in December where they have been performing their play titled The Healing Journey.

Productions include Heroes of South Africa (2005-2006) and The Song in your Head (2004-2005).

In 2004, the drama student Jasper Hoogenboom from the Netherlands joined Freedom Extravaganza for two months in a production called Moving Mountains which was the first location theatre production to take place in Newlands.

Two of the members of Freedom Extravaganza were guest actors in the Dutch-Namibian co-production The Waterhole. In 2006, this show was part of the EARTH Festival in Vancouver (Canada) and at the NCDO Wilde Ganzen Day in the Netherlands. The play takes audiences back in time to a world where silence goes before sound, where slow pace goes before hurry and where fur patterns are natural and not trendy.

Contact Thami Khuzwayo (TK), Freedom Extravaganza’s director, on 076 968 3066. Mail should be addressed to 2145 Westrich, Rockrich, Newlands West, Durban, 4037, or pay them a visit at Riverdene Secondary School, 317 Riverdene Drive, Newlands West, Durban. Phone 031 578 78 22 or 082 685 3480, email: info@extravaganza.org.za or visit www.extravaganza.org.za