Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela, National Art Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.

Ingcwaba lendoda Lise cankwe ndlela
(The grave of the man is next to the road)

An emotional play is about the search for a place called home between Cape Town and the Eastern Cape. This explosive and colourful physical theatre piece is in isiXhosa with English translations. The play was performed in the Nombilelo Hall, a township on the outskirts of Grahamstown during the 2009 National Arts Festival.

Although 70 minutes long, Mandla Mbothwe has managed to produce an exciting and vibrant theatre piece that is both exciting to watch and quite easy to follow. The English translations are obscure, often late and do nothing for this production. Discussing the play with the isiXhosa people also fluent in English after the show, felt that translations flashing on a screen was an unwelcome distraction and did nothing to tell the story.

The play it was held in is a well-kept school hall in the ‘African’ section of Grahamstown. Segregation still exists in South Africa despite the slow integration of people from different backgrounds and social structures, races and creed.

This play succeeds in telling a story that is echoed by some degree by the circumstances of the players themselves. Some of the performers are rural folk coming to towns and cities of South Africa from the rural centre of the former homelands of the Eastern Cape.

Families are split, divided and quartered by the circumstances and need to improve their lives. Father disappears in the sunset looking for a better life for their families. Once established they send money home until either they have enough saved and come home themselves or send for their families to join them in the far away cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg.

But truth be told, often what happens is these ‘migrant’ folk are murdered on the way to the cities, sometimes jailed and often they lose contact with their families. They also slip into the unwelcome world of crime, grime and slave labour in the underbelly of the South African economy. Children grow up, some go looking for their fathers and the mothers, and wife figures are abandoned in the rural villages of the Eastern Cape.

The dialogue is obviously in a vernacular, the talent of the performers sometimes exhibits their lack of theatre schooling, but this rather than a criticism is a compliment to the talent of these wonderful performers who tell the story in true African story-telling traditions. They give the characters an authenticity that is often missed in the slick productions in the big billed productions the city of Grahamstown.

The natural talent make the characters believable and the as the story develops so do the characters sort them self out in your mind.

The father, the mother, daughter, neighbours and the people the father meets on the road. Conflict, dialogue, song and dance, late nights and early mornings on the road – the shebeens (African taverns), taxi ranks are all wonderfully displayed with minimal backdrops and often gestures, music or language used tells this fast paced story.

As a fringe production it does have a couple of shows in the St Andrew’s school hall, but most are in the school hall, this is a true South African tale that will be over-looked by many, and appreciated by the few who take chances on the fringe productions of the Grahamstown National Arts Festival.