(Sibusiso Mpendulo
Nzama & Sabelo Cele)
The
Last Outpost will be presented at the Hexagon
Theatre in Pietermaritzburg from May 25 to 27. It is written by UKZN MA
candidate Francis Mennigke, a Standard Bank Ovation Award winner for his
original script Morgue in 2014.
Today, 23 years after South Africa’s first
democratic election, colonialism still exists. Rather than imperial forts and
army barracks, some of these spaces are psychological.
Directed by Rhodes University graduate,
Josh Martin, this dark satire thrusts the audience into the mind of Juvakazi
Sengwayo (or “Juice”, as he is dubbed by his oppressors), a young man grappling
with the remnants of colonialism which continue keep him from living free. In
this space, he loses everything: his name, his history, his culture and his
language. Forced to contend with two decomposing British soldiers who have set
up the Empire’s last outpost in his mind – the oppressive and tyrannical
Codswallop and Broomhead – Juvakazi is confronted with a brutal and heartless
discrimination.
Willing to stop at nothing to free himself
from his mental shackles, Juvakazi launches a final assault on the last outpost
which the two red coats continue to cling to. Will Juice drive out his captors
and reclaim his language and identity? Or will he allow them to continue
holding his mind prisoner?
The production features Sibusiso Mpendulo
Nzama, Sabelo Cele, Francis Mennigke and Ed Pepperell. The Last Outpost seeks to open an honest dialogue around the
question of decolonisation.
Performances take place at 19h00 from May 25
to 27 at the Hexagon Theatre on the UKZN Pietermaritzburg campus. Tickets R70
(R35 students) available at the door, or book through hexagon@ukzn.ac.za
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