(Ntokozo Ngcobo & Nonkululeko
Mchunu as they appear as Stone Age women. Pic by Andrew Griffin)
Dim-Dep is a new South African musical with a strong environmental and heritage
theme, by Atlas Philani Duma, which comes to the Playhouse Loft for a short
season from July 2 to 5.
The title is
inspired by the sound that is produced by beating an African drum, especially
by hands. It is also an abbreviation of Drum and Indigenous Music Development
Project – an ongoing initiative run by Duma’s Sagiya Productions.
The cast comprises
Nonkululeko Mchunu; Cherise Hlengiwe Filen; Ntokozo Ngcobo and Lee Ngamlana
with music by Atlas Philani Duma; Smanga DJ Sweet Bhengu and Thonbani Mbatha.
The musical is
classic “edutainment” – an engaging story with a strong environmental message.
The story, crafted through a blend of dialogue, poetry, music, dramatic prose
and monologues, is told over two time periods – contemporary urban and Stone
Age. The narrators are two women, Sindy and Mpume, who meet in the rainforest
near the Drakensberg Mountains in KZN. Through flashbacks we reflect on the
life of early men and women living in the mountains.
The story talks to
responsible, environmentally-aware living, reminding audiences of the need to
be self-sufficient, nurture the environment, minimize pollution, limit use of
power and look back to age-old skills such as agriculture; 'emasimini' (crop
fields); subsistence farming; responsible use of animal products and
environmental sustainability.
Dim-Dep features a great musical score denoting the changing historical
landscape: from Afro Blues to mainstream Jazz, to Bebop, to Cool Jazz, Modern
Jazz, Pop, Hip-Pop, Maskandi, Afro Jazz and House.
The concept is
informed by the history of the ancient Abangoni Tribe which has descended from
central Africa lead by a Mr. Ntu. They ended up in South Africa and used the
fertile land for farming and introduced concepts such as animal domestication
and ploughing. They sought solutions to preventing animal extinction due to
uncontrolled hunting and are remembered for their practical conservation and
traditional methods of agriculture.
The production runs
for 90 minutes with no interval, and is perfect for school learners of history,
geography, life-sciences; music, drama and English.
Dim-Dep - Faces of Natural Environmental
Success runs in the Playhouse Loft from July 2 to 5 with performances from
Thursday to Saturday at 19h00 and Sunday at 1500. Tickets R80 booked through Computicket
or the Playhouse box office. For more information, contact: Sagiya Productions,
Atlas Duma 074 542 7305 or email: atlasduma06@gmail.com
Dim Dep: Faces of Environmental Success has been made possible by KZN Department of
Arts and Culture, Ethekwini Municipality and is supported by Izwi Lomzansi fm.
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