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No Voice No Choice update report on SADC Community Theatre
Festival
Tafadzwa
Muzondo
November 21, 2011
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Introduction
"No Voice
No Choice" had two performances in Johannesburg where the
10 member team of an amalgamated cast from EDZAI ISU Theatre Arts
Project and Zvido Zvevanhu Arts Ensemble, supported by Culture Fund
of Zimbabwe Trust, went to participate in the SADC Best of the Best
Community Theatre Festival 2011. We had an opportunity to share
experiences with 18 Community Theatre groups from South Africa,
Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. South Africa had the most
number of the participating groups with representatives from Cape
Town, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Tembisa, Duduza, Heidleberg, Secunda
and Johannesburg. The play is a result of a partnership born out
of an imperative to take community theatre to another level through
pulling together ideas, skills and resources hence the participation
at the SADC Best of the Best Community Theatre Festival inspired
us and convinced us that Zimbabwean art can compete on another level
and also made us pull our stockings as presentations had their unique
performance styles which made us stick to and polish our style.
The preparations
went well in as far as the rehearsals of the production which was
already in place having had two performances before (at the International
Day of Peace by Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum and Protest Arts International Festival
by Savannah
Trust). The challenges where in terms of the funding since the
festival was providing for accommodation and food in Johannesburg
and so we had to seek supplementary funding for transport and allowances
(per diems and honorariums) and we are grateful to the Culture Fund
of Zimbabwe for being a knight in shining armour as our plans would
have been seriously compromised had they not chipped in.
Execution
The 10 member
team left Harare at 8pm on Friday 13 November aboard Greyhound and
arrived in Johannesburg at around 3pm comprising of:
- Tafadzwa
Muzondo
- Gibson Sarari
- Ratidzo (Eunice)
Tava
- Everson Ndlovu
- Charles Biniweri
- Livius Chitsungo
- Charlotte
Munyanyi
- Beauty Majira
- Gabriel Akupa
- Isheunesu
Moyo
Two performances
were done as follows:
1. South
African Council of Churches (Khotso House): 12 November 2011 - 4.30pm
Attended by
people who remained behind after a meeting on Cancer addressed by
the Zimbabwean Deputy Prime Minister who also underpinned the need
to have free and fair elections without violence - another cancer
that has affected our politics, this performance was an opportunity
to reach out to Zimbabweans in South Africa who have a role to play
in creating and/or sustaining a culture of peace in our politics,
societies and families. They identified very well with the set and
plot of the play, its humorous and emotional moments in a performance
that left the people who saw the play encouraging the artists to
take the show to as many people in Zimbabwe and abroad to spread
the message.
2. Sibikwe
Arts Centre (Benoni): 13 November 2011 - 12pm
Initially billed
to start the program of the day, we were pushed to the third group
and thus performed at 12 noon. Although we failed to see the other
10 performances that were performed the day we arrived, we managed
to see the other 7 performances from other community theatre groups
that include: Mandy Productions from Gaborone in Botswana, Jahunda
Arts from Gwanda in Zimbabwe, Zase Laduma Arts Projects from Secunda,
B & T Productions from Port Elizabeth, Africa Jam from Cape
Town, and Afrika Entle Theatre Workshop from Pretoria all in South
Africa.
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