The Market Theatre Laboratory in partnership with the National Heritage Council will bring Heritage Month to a close at The Market Theatre Foundation by hosting a weeklong programme from 26 – 29 September 2024. The programme will celebrate the histories of minoritised identities and galvanise hope and action towards further protection and cultivation of projects that seek to unite, challenge and develop a sustainable democracy.
The programme will place focus on the stories of minoritised culture and identities to celebrate indigenous language systems and indigenous stories. It will also make room for indigenous narratives and languages to take up space in our creative spaces.
As part of the celebrations, The Lab presents their next Theatre Think Tank instalment, curated by artist-researcher Pule kaJanolintji (Tūkx’aoseb) together with the presentation of Swartwater, a theatre production by Nama Khoi Productions. For the Theatre Think Tank, titled Sida !Hūb: Performing The Land, Pule will bring together two panellists to share their embodied knowledge and research. Collectively, they will tell the story of how land is culture and culture is land, placing minoritised culture and identities at the forefront of the conversation.
The Lab’s Theatre Think Tanks serve as an invaluable exploration and reflection on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage field. The specific aim is to gather, organise and ultimately draw on the knowledge of local communities, making this accessible to the greater community. This Heritage Month iteration of the Theatre Think Tank will unpack the notion of how minoritisation of culture is the dispossession of land, especially when it comes to issues of indigeneity and authenticity. If you are engaged in the arts, or are just curious, don’t miss the Sida !Hūb: Performing The Land Theatre Think Tank which starts at 12h00 on Sunday, 29 September 2024 at The Market Square in Newtown. The Think Tank is a free event.
The production, Swartwater, tells the story about the losses experienced by the Nama Khoi indigenous people during the discovery of diamonds in the 1900s. The story follows a Nama family as they face the painful reality of once again being asked to uproot their lives and leave Swartwater, for the Cape Colony. Through the eyes of Tieles, who is in the process of departing Swartwater, audiences are taken on an emotional journey of profound loss as they unpack the previous forced removals from Dunvlei and Ariesdrift.Swartwater guides the audience through a profound exploration of grief, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a people determined to overcome adversity.
Speaking on the upcoming programme, the head of The Market Theatre Lab, Cherae Halley, says: “Theatre has always had the ability to open dialogue, raise awareness and challenge social norms which often can lead to meaningful action. This Heritage-centred programme will provoke audiences as we look Genocide in the face and engage with the view that land and heritage cannot be separate matters. There is a minoritised culture and minoritised identities in Southern Africa, that need to be repositioned in the patchwork of our African story. I believe both the Think Tank and the production of Swartwater will remind us of that. This is how The Lab wishes to commemorate notions of heritage and culture this month.”
At the helm of Nama Khoi Productions is an extraordinary theatre-maker, Geralt Cloete, whose work is focused on sharing the experiences of the Nama people. Nama Khoi Productions is situated in Sanddrift, a community on the outskirts of the Northern Cape, in the Namaqualand Region. To bring their work to Johannesburg will assist in expanding the reach of their stories and invite Johannesburg audiences to honour such stories as well as contribute to the developing knowledge of a past not often spoken about.
Audiences can catch their production of Swartwater from Thursday, 26 September to Sunday, 29 September 2024 for only R100 per ticket.
To purchase your ticket for this event, visit Webtickets.
