March 15, 2004
By Jonews Reporter
THE life and talents of the late Matsemela Manaka, gifted playwright, artist and poet, will be celebrated with the staging of one of his plays, Goree, at the Bank Market Theatre later this month.
Manaka, who was born in 1956 and tragically killed in a car accident in 1998, was a pivotal player in the grassroots black theatre movement that grew out of Soweto 1976. He founded the Soyikwa African Theatre group, which performed unscripted, workshopped plays in a satirical response to the political repression of the time.
His plays include Egoli: City of Gold (1979), Blues Afrika Café (1980), Vuka (1981), Mbumba (1984), and the musical Goree, among others. Although his productions were aimed at spreading black consciousness philosophy to township audiences, they were also hugely successful at theatre festivals in Europe.
Goree was first performed in 1989 by the Soyikwa group and was directed by John Kani. For some of the cast, the restaging of the play will be a nostalgic experience. Both Sibongile Khumalo and Manaka's wife Nomsa Kupi Manaka - who is producing the play - are cast in the same roles they played 15 years ago. Gugulethu Ngwenya will be on percussion, playing the same role that Manaka performed. Jerry Mofokeng directs the production.
Goree is about the spiritual journey of a young South African dancer (played by Manaka) whose attempts to learn African dance lead to her own self-discovery. She travels the continent, ending up at Goree, Senegal's notorious island of slavery, where she meets a wise old woman (Khumalo) who teaches her about dance, music and art. The woman, Oba, also imparts her wisdom about identity and xenophobia and about the need for Africans to take control of their own lives.
Goree, sponsored by Eskom and Hivos, runs at the Market Theatre in Newtown from 19 March to 4 April. Tickets are available from R70 on weekdays and R90 on weekends but previews at lower prices are on offer on 19 March and 20 March. For block and corporate bookings call Debbie on 011 680 2926 or call the Market Theatre on 011 832 1641.
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