Theatre shows often have a magical way of crossing racial and cultural boundaries to interrogate common experiences of South Africans.
With this in mind, Artscape Theatre remains at the forefront of bridging divides via the stage and it will be no different when it hosts Awethu Kraal of Dreams on June 7 and 8 at 8pm. It’s collaboration with the Steve Biko Centre.
This theatrical gathering of Cape Town’s diversity is part of Artscape’s vision to use the arts as a vehicle to enhance social cohesion. Marlene Le Roux, director of Artscape’s audience development, said they want to also “invest in the development of stories that capture the dreams and hopes of a better tomorrow, and reflect the diverse cultures of our South African society.” “One of the most important challenges facing post-apartheid South Africa is how to bridge diversity and not to emphasise ethnicity. Most cultures in the apartheid era were marginalized,” says Le Roux. “The question that always arises is how should South Africa respond to the societal challenges it faces, with the main question being: culture influences society and society has an impact on cultural practices.”
Le Roux adds: “This production is an attempt to push artists and the audience beyond their known boundaries. In this effort we hope to influence society to embrace each other’s cultures and belief systems and in this way destroy preconceived notions.”
Mandla Mbothwe, the show’s director, says it is a “search for a multiple voice identity and the celebration of that search.” “Awethu was an exercise of waiting, of remembering, of digging deeper and seeing more than just a collaboration of different genres, cultures, and artistic disciplines. The process allowed us to tap into those uncomfortable spaces that cross race and culture boundaries,” says Mbothwe. “We found each other’s thoughts, gifts, dreams and stories. The production was in essence about the acceptance of our complex, ever changing and diverse society; a quest for the individual within this society to seek the interconnectedness of our stories and dreams.”
Mbothwe says Awethu is also an “attempt to make sense of who we are when we are together and sharing in our commonalities and differences; a constant search for a shared identity that is not constructed by feel-good platitudes which create the false illusion of unity.”
A host of artists are involved in Awethu, which celebrates South Africa through music and dance. Among these are the Community Plough Back Cultural Ensemble from Langa, Gugulethu, Nyanga and Khayelitsha. The Vadhini Indian Arts Academy will perform while accompanied by Bongani Sotshononda’s Indigenous Orchestra. Internationally renowned jazz singer Melanie Scholtz and Zanne Stapelberg will also perform. Scholtz is an award-winning singer, composer and lyricist and has released three independently produced albums. She has performed locally and worldwide.
Sotshononda’s Indigenous Orchestra meanwhile comprises an array of different African instruments.
Awethu Kraal of Dreams will be performed at Artscape Theatre on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8, at 8pm.
For more information check www.artscape.co.za. For ticket bookings contact Computicket on or Dial-A-Seat on .