Blessed,
For the second year, Aldo Brincat has created a space in the local theatre scene where the godly and not so godly can come together in an interactive space and engage with one another and our varying degrees of faith. This year had a major twist. The play was held in four different homes of the Rasesa community. In this way, the stage, the scene, the props, the stories and the people were made real; and so were the issues being addressed. The audience convened at Westwood School and 1pm and were shuttled to Rasesa in four vans which took us from venue to venue across the village. The disconnected effect made it hard to tell where the play ended and the real stories of Rasesa began. Every house became a stage. Every resident became and actor. The line between theatre and reality was suspended for one magical afternoon.
The first scenario my group encountered was completely unexpected. We pulled up to a house and a lady ran out screaming at the top of her lungs! She grabbed one of the men we had come with and ran back into the house, crying for help and asking us all to come and intervene in whatever was going on inside. Bewildered, we followed her inside and went through to a corridor where there was some very loud shouting going on. There appeared to be an intruder in the house and shortly after we arrived the 'Police' came to the house to deal with the matter. She took the suspect forcefully into the living room and cuffed him on the floor, before proceeding to interrogate the man and his wife about the incident. To say this was highly bizzare would be an understatement, we were not expecting this at all! Later, it came out in the investigation that the owner of the house actually knew the suspect who had tried to rob them (one of his workers) and the situation changed. The thief claimed the Chinese man was abusing him and the other workers and he was just trying to make ends meet. The theme of xenophobia, nepotism and abuse of power developed through the rest of the segment and ended with the suspect being released and the two Chinese nationals being told to go back home to their country by the Police Officer.
Shaken, we were herded back onto our bus and taken to the next location, which was very different from the first... We were welcomed at the gate of a very affluent house by a Maid who implied that we had arrived just in time for a party. The Lady of the house welcomed us and, after pouring herself a liberal drink proceeded to fill us in on the 'latest' in her life. Her beloved Son and Husband were mentioned a lot, as well as the Maid who appeared to have been with the family for a very long time. However as she continues speaking it became clear that not all was rosy in paradise and she in fact had made plans to leave her family and move back to England. She suspected that the Maid was 'taking care' of her Husband a little too well and decided to remove herself from the situation. As we got to meet the Husband, and then Son, different stories of the family dynamic emerged and in the end the Lady of the house made a dramatic exit from her 'perfect' life and the audience was asked to leave.
The next scenario was by far the scariest. In the smallest,poorest house of the four we visited, we were ushered into the room of a sickly Man, whose daughters were his primary caretakers. The room was small, quiet and painful. The actors gave some of the best performances of the day and the room screamed of HIV and AIDS, poverty, and death. The audience was clearly uncomfortable and no one could muster and fantasy about the situation. The man was fed and helped to drink, like a child for he was too weak even to lift a glass, and the audience was asked to help bathe him. This was sad. This was sick. And unfortunately this is a everyday reality for some. To be honest, I couldn't wait for it to end.
The last piece was a family struggling to fund the youngest brother's studies because of their alcoholic sister. The young brother turns to God and asks for charity from the audience while the oldest brother insists that only hard work and determination will change things.
At the end of the four scenarios the audience was reunited at the Rasesa Kgotla for the crucifixion scene where we found Jesus 'crucified' on a tree. He was cut loose by various members of the cast and wrapped in a cloth before being carried away by the mourning cast. It was a very surreal, and weighty moment at the end of a long day.
The crucifixion scene from last year's show was way more intense than this year's portrayal, but this year's show definitely took it to the next level in the individual stories that made up the play. We were taken on a very real journey through the lives of our fellow men and women and left with a mixed bag of feelings, exhilaration, self-reflection, gratitude and discomfort. A job well done to all the performers, Joe Matome, Thuto Aaron Marumo, Victor Leshomo, Francis Githinji, Lesego Nchunga, Nicholas Ramogodi, Tumalano Modise, Na Li, Onkemetse Sebenyane, Kgotla Molefi, Tshiamo Petersen, Mothusi Moatshe, Qzan Cheng, Lorraine Metlhaleng, Morongoa Mosethli, Sharon Dutton, Otlogetse Garorekwe, Bonny Banks, Uniaswi Nfanile, Oagile Matsapa and Nicola Holgate. I would also like to thank the residents of Rasesa for graciously letting us into their homes. It was definitely a one of a kind show =)
Huge congratulations to Aldo Brincat, author, producer and director. Thank you for a wonderful show, and for putting a little more Faith in our Jars =)
After getting all pumped up by Kearoma and her band, we were ready for the main attraction! Freshly Ground are well known for their afro-fusion style, blending elements of jazz, kwaito, kwela and folk sounds, and they performed hits like Pot Belly, Doo Be Doo, I'd Like and Waka Waka as well as songs from their latest album. The front area quickly got packed and finding a way to the from was nearly impossible, however I still managed to get a few good photos of the group who consist of lead singer, Zolani Mahola, violinist Kyla-Rose Smith, saxophone, harmonica and flutist Simon Attwell, drummer Peter Cohen, lead guitarist Julio Sigauque, bassist Josh Hawks and Seredeal "Shaggy" Scheepers, keyboardist and percussionist. I had a wonderful time singing and jiving along with the group whose energy carried me throughout their set. The only thing I could have wished for would have been for them to perform a longer set but we all know what they say about too much of a good thing!
When all was said and done it was an absolutely fantastic night! Many congratulations to the Mascom Live team and a special congratulations to lead singer of Freshly Ground Zolani Mahola, who announced to the crown that she is pregnant! Wishing her all the best and many thanks for an amazing night of jive to add some Faith In My Jar =)
