After an impressive tour in Eastern Cape which ended with a performance in King William’s Town for the Steve Biko Foundation Centre on Sunday 10 July 2011, Rituals is set to be performed at the South Africa Council of Churches as part of a tour earmarked at reaching out to Zimbabweans abroad, diplomats, civic society, religious leaders, artists and journalists in Johannesburg running until 17 July 2011.
“These performances are coming at a time after politicians have represented or misrepresented their party interests, presented or mispresented the Zimbabwean situation. As artists, we are coming in with a theatrical representation of the effects of the politically motivated violence of 2008 and how communities have tried their own healing and reconciliation processes in an environment with lack of political will and an almost invisible organ on national healing reconciliation and integration”
Written by renowned Zimbabwean playwright Stephen Chifunyise, Directed by Daves Guzha Featuring: Mandla Moyo, Zenzo Nyahti, Joyce Mpofu, Silvanos Mudzvova, Chipo Bizure & Rutendo Chigudu with live music from Gibson Sarare and Joshua Mwase, Rituals is an inspiring theatrical piece which has been well received by the Zimbabwean populace during its 100 performances tour in Zimbabwe but persecuted by some security agents in places like Cashel Valley, Bulawayo and Centinary.
For instance, in Manicaland,the entire team got arrested and detained for two nights charged with criminal nuisance on 5 January 2010 only to be acquitted by the magistrate’s court on 22 February 2011 after a marathon trial in which the state failed to sustain its case. In Bulawayo the police tried to stop its performances but were told not to interrupt with the play after an exparte application by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
And in Mashonaland Central, the police arrested the team the instigation of a member of parliament for Muzarabani and detained them at Centinary Police Station then transferred to Bindura Law and Order section which failed to sustain the trumped up charge of “undermining the authority of the president”.
It has received critical acclaim from both theatre fans, artists, critics and enthusiasts in not only Zimbabwe but Kenya and Zambia when it started its international tour which will cover the UK in August 2011.
The 11 performances will be at the following Venues and Times:
1. Tuesday, 12 July at 2.00pm: South African Council of Churches
Auditorium (Khotso House), First Floor,
62 Marshall Street, JHB
2. Tuesday July 13 at 6pm: Wits University – Zimbabwe Social Justice
Project 3. Wednesday July 14 at 6pm: Wits University – Zimbabwe Social
Justice Project 4. Friday, 15 July at 2.00pm: Johannesburg Central
Methodist Church, JHB 5. Friday, 15 July at 6.30pm: The Canopy
(Upstairs),
81 De Korte Street, Braamfontein
6. Saturday, 16 July at 11.00am: (performance for children) The Hillbrow Theatre, JHB
7. Saturday, 16 July at 6.30pm: The Hillbrow Theatre, JHB 8. Sunday,
17 July at 11am: Diepsloot Extension 1 Rank 9. Sunday, 17 July at
6.00pm: University of Pretoria (Centre for Human Rights, New Law Building, Room 212)
Please note that the other two shows will be open air outreach shows in places where most Zimbabweans stay and all are invited to all these free shows.
Synopsis of the play
“Rituals” is a musical and inspirational journey through community driven healing processes that are impeded by lack of political will.
Can a legal settlement to political violence super cede the spiritual settlement of appeasing the avenging spirit in the case of murder? How possible is it for an activist to confess knowledge of murder and compensate the dead person’s family with a daughter without risking being arrested and condemned for abusing the right of the girl child?
Can an ambitious politician be bold enough to a community cleansing ceremony of addressing the insults she passed on them during the political tension without opening a Pandora’s Box and facing reprisal from her party? Is it possible for Zimbabwean politicians to put national interest ahead of their political interests?
Such questions are posed in this loaded and poignant play which promotes community driven, not just national driven healing as it appeals for individual as opposed to institutional interventions in peace building and reconciliation.
Post published in: Theatre