Africa’s heritage in history

Published Sep 9, 2014

Share

A GROUNDBREAKING new festival has been launched by the Wushwini Arts, Culture and Heritage Centre.

Under the helm of its founder Jerry Pooe, the first Botho Heritage Festival is all set to present a four-day programme of arts as a commemoration of Heritage Month in South Africa this month.

“Botho” is a Sotho word meaning “ubuntu”, a philosophy which embraces notions of humanity and compassion as we co-exist.

The programme will showcase acts by groups and companies from KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Free State that will present items of dance, music, theatre, storytelling, exhibitions and praise poetry.

Tonight spoke to director Roel Twijnstra about some of what he’ll be bringing to the inaugural fest.

Although originally from the Netherlands, and only an “official” immigrant to South Africa for just more than a year, Twijnstra has been involved in the arts in South Africa for the past 18 years – particularly investing into development in the arts at grass-roots level.

Although he travels the country juggling several projects in the provinces, he is most well-known for his work with Twist Theatre Projects together with Emma Durden.

This project has established itself as a leading institution in helping to sustainably develop the arts in KZN, basically living out the principles of botho/ubuntu in the arts.

But for the purposes of this interview, we were particularly interested in a work which will premiere at the Botho Heritage Festival, directed by Twijnstra.

The Girls of Aboke (staging at Wushwini Centre on September 13 at 8pm, has been described as a searing drama which centres on the 139 girls who were abducted on October 9, 1996, from their boarding school in Aboke, North of Uganda.

The school principal, Sister Rachel, courageously follows the rebels who abducted the girls. Her journey brings her eye-to-eye with one of the cruellest of rebel movements, the Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader Joseph Kony.

Three actors tell the story of Ann, one of the abducted girls, who escaped and one of the child soldiers Norman, who abducted the girls and later escaped from the army.

Together, they tell their story while trying to reach the civilised world. But the rebels are behind them. Will they make it and will the people of their village accept them if they come home?

“In April, when the Nigerian girls were abducted by Boko Haram, that really got a lot of media attention. But those kinds of abductions happen frequently in areas such as these that are affected by civil wars and rebels. Twijnstra said the show followed the story of Aboke as written about by Moses Isegawa, a Ugandan writer and novelist.

“Jerry (Pooe) felt that an international heritage festival is not only about costumes and Zulu Dance, it’s also about a lot of incidents that are part of African history that come up regularly. We were very touched by the role of children in these conflicts. It’s three actors who tell the story in an African storytelling style.”

The Botho Heritage Festival runs from 11 to 14 September at Wushwini Centre, overlooking the scenic Inanda Dam in KZN’s famed Valley of a Thousand Hills. A detailed programme can be attained from The Stable Theatre (031 309 2513).

• Festival tickets are R30 a show, or R60 for a day pass. The Sunday Dance Programme is free. Schools pay R15 a show. Tickets available at the gate, and those booked in advance can be obtained at Durban’s Stable Theatre.

Related Topics: