London - Thirty-five years after its debut, award-winning Cape Town-born playwright David Lan's searing political allegory Painting A Wall is still striking a chord with audiences in London.
Lan moved to London in 1972 and wrote Painting a Wall in 1974 as a response to South Africa's political system.
The play was revived at London's Finborough Theatre this year in honour of South Africa's national elections, in one of the only stagings of the play since its debut at the Almost Free Theatre in 1974.
A former anthropologist who spent two years living with villagers in Zimbabwe, Lan is also known for his book Guns and Rain: Guerrillas & Spirit Mediums in Zimbabwe about Zimbabwe's struggle for independence.
He has written many plays involving African religion and has directed several BBC documentaries on Africa.
He has been artistic director for London's Young Vic Theatre since 2000 and visits his mother in Cape Town every year.
Set in 1970s Cape Town, the play portrays four coloured painters tasked with painting a government wall white within one hour - only they have been given the wrong colour paint. Written when he was only 22, Lan's play highlights the struggles coloured people faced during the apartheid era.
His inspiration for the four characters stemmed from his days working at the Little Theatre at the University of Cape Town while growing up in the city.
"I used to work in the workshop with the crew, building sets and painting, and the characters in the play are based on those people - they're very close to people I knew."
Lan effectively uses the simple task of painting a wall as a metaphor for the futility and oppression of the political system of the time. He worked with director Titas Halder during rehearsals to try to convey to him the extreme conditions of the apartheid era. "I told him to imagine what it was like and then multiply it by 10."
One of the strongest moments in the play comes when Willy (Howard Charles), one of the painters, talks about the power of language and his frustration at knowing very few words - yet another dividing factor.
"If you learn something new, the world becomes real to you, you can act on it; the knowledge of words can do that for you," Lan explained. "If you have a limited number of words, you have a limited consciousness."
The slow pace of the play mimics the oppression felt by those trapped under the apartheid system, but the men's frustration with their quandary and the social conditions of the time provides an interesting commentary.
Each of the men responds differently to his situation - Willy with indignation and humour, Samson (Syrus Lowe) with diligence, Henry (Peter Landi) with resignation, and Peter (Jacob Anderson) with silence.
They individually attempt to take a stand against the futility of their positions within the political system - Willy has angry outbursts, Samson refuses to paint, Henry attempts to create art from monotony and Peter eventually leaves.
The play culminates with Henry attempting to take his own life by drinking a can of paint in a silent rebellion against the system determined to hold him down.
Each of the characters is believable, although they would have benefited from more depth and a better- structured storyline.
The Finborough's tiny stage proves a perfect setting for the one-act play, showcasing only a light green wall and a paint-splattered floor and effectively relying on the actors and creative lighting to tell the story.
Lan acknowledges that South Africa has made great strides in the past 35 years, but says there is still more to be done. "There have been some amazing achievements education has improved, health has improved, but other things are not so good," he said.
While the play stretches to hold one's attention for its entire length, the performances are well acted and its message regarding the value of human life and equality is still pertinent today.