With the country grappling with issues of gender-based violence and femicide, The Playhouse Company is staging a new production “Iketango", which is aimed at younger audiences.
Theatre-maker Lesedi Job says when she was commissioned to create a play about gender violence, particularly for the youth, she didn’t have to think twice about it.
This education production is currently on at the Durban Playhouse and runs until May 19.
The play follows four friends who are reunited after the untimely death of their mutual friend.
Facing up to the uncomfortable truth about their deceased friend’s relationship, they reflect on the relationship and go on a journey to confront themselves and identify the cycles of violence that have kept them bound in their own lives.
In conversation with IOL Entertainment, Job pointed out that “Iketango” addresses gender-based violence and how it affects the younger generation.
“Iketango” means chain and the title is inspired by the subject matter of the play of gender-based violence. Number one, a lot of times people who are victims of GBV are tied into something.
“And once you're wounded by a person, you will forever be tied to that particular situation or scenario,” elaborates Job.
“It doesn't go anywhere, it leaves with you and then you carry it forward, either being more susceptible to unhealthy relationships and scenarios with other people or being a perpetrator yourself and hurting others based on the fact that you are tied and bound to this horrible or horrific experience that you've had in your life.
“We also explored the fact that a chain has got links and all of the different people within the story are linked to this one person who has died and how this one person's death sparks the awareness around their own wounds that they are carrying.
“So in many ways, the title is a metaphor for wounds and this issue of gender-based violence.”
“Iketango” is the second GBV production that Job directed. Her first was “Brutal Legacy,” a play based on the memoirs of former TV and radio personality Tracy Going.
“I directed ‘Brutal Legacy’ in 2019, which I brought to the Durban Playhouse last year. And from there, I was asked to create a play that would speak to a young audience specifically in KZN.
“And I know that the Durban Playhouse has had quite a lot of conversations around this issue and is quite passionate as an institution in terms of finding ways of addressing the issue and creating awareness within the community in KZN.
“I think the message that comes through in the play, number one, GBV in this country has been declared a pandemic.
“It's a massive issue and I don't know what the solution is that we've got to create awareness. We've got to open up people's minds to the harsh reality of gender-based violence.”
In the play, Job is reminding society that gender-based violence goes beyond just physical violence, it includes sexual assault and emotional abuse.
“The cycle of violence is perpetuated, not by people who are healthy within themselves, but often it is people coming from an unhealthy situation or scenario struggling with a specific issue that is as a result of growing up in a home where there's been abuse, growing up in a home where they themselves have been abused. And then passing that on to the next person.
“It's unhealthy relationship scenarios that often start not when you're older, but when you're younger. So by addressing that or dealing with those specific issues within the play, one is able to hold a mirror to a younger audience to create awareness for them so that they're able to be a little bit more conscious as they move forward in the world.”
“Iketango” is currently showing at the Playhouse Company until May 19. Learners pay R50. To book, reach out to Dawn Haddon at 031 369 9456 or email: [email protected].
OTHERS SHOWS NOT TO BE MISSED
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Where: The Playhouse Company.
When: April 22.
“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” is a ballet that takes a magical journey to the enchanted land of Narnia.
Four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, discover a magical wardrobe that leads them into a fantastical world ruled by the evil White Witch.
There they meet a powerful lion named Aslan and together they must defeat the White Witch and restore order to Narnia. The show is performed by the House Academy of Dance.
Peppa Pig
Where: The Globe @ Suncoast.
When: April 21 to 23.
Durban fans can’t wait to welcome Peppa Pig back to Suncoast for the final leg of her 2023 South African tour.
In this incredible escapade where Peppa tries to plan the perfect day for Mummy and Daddy Pig but not everything goes according to plan.
From space rockets to starfish, exploding bubbles to Bing Bong singalongs, it's non-stop excitement.
“Peppa Pig Live in South Africa“ will have fans laughing, cheering and dancing – just like Peppa!
This fully immersive musical production, featuring all your favourite songs along with incredible life-sized puppets and beautifully costumed characters, brings Peppa Pig to life like never before.