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Bindura Police deny the dead opportunity to speak out
Rooftop Promotions
November 26, 2012

Police in Bindura Monday denied the performance of the play "The Coup" at Chipadze Bus Terminus which they said was "political".

The same police station had on Wednesday last week cleared the show. The Censorship Board had also the cleared the play.

When the cast arrived at the performance venue today at 1230pm (Monday afternoon), they were informed by police details from Bindura Central Police that they could not go ahead with the performance.

DISPOL Assistant Commissioner Chiwoko, who is charge of Glendale, Chiweshe and partly Bindura informed the tour manager, Annamore Ziweya that the play was too political and therefore the cast could not go ahead with the show. He also instructed the other two police stations Glendale and Chombira to revoke the clearance granted earlier.

The play is on a national tour which had a successful start at the University of Zimbabwe Alfred Beit Hall on Monday November 19.

Daves Guzha of Rooftop Promotions said: "For a country that has over 90 percent unemployment rate it just boggles the mind why anyone would want to deny people decent employment. The people who are stopping us have no direct link with us. The professionals have looked at the content, they are happy with it and which leg is ZRP standing on. What makes it worse is that they have not even seen the show but they were quick to stop us from performing."

This is the second time after the creation of the GNU that a Rooftop Promotions production has had a brush with Law Enforcement Agents. In 2010 the cast of the play "Rituals" was arrested in Cashel Valley and we proceeded to have a full trial and in a landmark ruling for the theatre sector, the state lost the case.

The Coup a stage play written by Stanley Makuwe is about a group of dead bodies crammed in a broken down hospital mortuary who decide to rise up and approach the country's leaders to demand a better service delivery and good governance.

The play zooms in on failing economy, the demise of the industrial sector and the worsening of the health delivery system and also focuses on the relationship between the coalition partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The six member cast comprises of 2012 NAMA Nominee Zenzo Nyathi, 2011 Outstanding Actress Joyce Mpofu, multi-award winner Eunice Tava, 2012 HIFA Theatre 24 Hour Challenge Best Director Charles Matare, multi-talented John Pfumojena and community theatre veteran, Gibson Sarari, also a NAMA recipient.

Efforts are currently underway to engage authorities at PGHQ.

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