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- Herausgeber: WS
- Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017
Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice is an anthology of five engaging and eclectic South African plays by award-winning playwright Ashwin Singh. The plays selected, namely To House, Duped, Spice ’n Stuff, Reoca Light and Beyond the Big Bangs represent the complete array of Singh’s storytelling skills in drama as well as satire.
Each play reflects, in different ways, on the complexities and contradictions of life in post-Apartheid South Africa, and focuses particularly on people of Indian origin and their relationship with other South African communities.
The plays present a moving portrait of a unique array of characters and are also punctuated by Singh’s trademark humour. Each one is set in Durban, South Africa’s third largest and most diverse city, and they are described by renowned academic and critic Betty Govinden as ‘undressing Durban, as they take us away from the neon lights and “candy floss” to the reality of the underbelly of post-Apartheid urban and suburban existence’.
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Ashwin Singh
Ashwin Singh is an attorney, lecturer, playwright, director and actor. His plays have received national and international exposure with To House, Spice ’n Stuff, Shooting and Marital Blitz* being the best known.
To House was published by Aurora Metro Books in the anthology New South African Plays; Spice ’n Stuff enjoyed critical acclaim during a national tour; Shooting was selected for the 2011 National Arts Festival Main Programme; and Marital Blitz was selected for the 2012 Qadir Ali Baig International Theatre Festival in Hyderabad.
Singh is also a three-time national award winner via the PANSA/NLDTF Playreading Festival (South Africa’s foremost playwriting contest) with his plays To House (2003); Duped (2005 [earlier version]); and Reoca Light (2012).
Singh is also a published poet and academic author. He has received critical acclaim for his performances on stage, radio and film. He has also presented several workshops on contracts and business enterprises for PANSA, the Playhouse Company and Catalina UnLtd.
He is currently the artistic director of AshTal Art (Pty) Ltd, a company he runs with his sister and mentor, Shantal Singh.
*Marital Blitz was co-written with Kajal Maharaj and Nesan Pather.
First published in the UK in 2013 by Aurora Metro Books
67 Grove Avenue, Twickenham, TW1 4HX
DURBAN DIALOGUES, INDIAN VOICE: Five South African Plays Educational Edition © 2013 Ashwin Singh
To House © 2003 Ashwin Singh
Duped © 2011 Ashwin Singh
Spice ’n Stuff © 2006 Ashwin Singh
Reoca Light © 2010 Ashwin Singh
Beyond the Big Bangs © 2013 Ashwin Singh
Production (Educational Edition): Simon Smith
With thanks to: Neil Gregory, Richard Turk, Jack Timney, Juliet Peacock, Fay Allum, Anna Laura Festa, Molly Gibbons, Nick Riedlinger and Sarah Strupinski.
All rights are strictly reserved. For rights enquiries including performing rights contact the publisher: [email protected]
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
In accordance with Section 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the author asserts his moral right to be identified as the author of the above work.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBNs:
978-1-906582-42-5 (Main Edition)
978-1-906582-50-0 (Educational Edition)
978-1-906582-32-6 (Educational Edition, Ebook)
ASHWIN SINGH
Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice
Five South African Plays
Educational Edition
AURORA METRO BOOKS
Acknowledgements
My sister, Shantal, for her constant support and belief in me, for her invaluable contributions to my artistic evolution and for exclusively funding some of my shows; my late father, Harry, for his quiet but powerful support and friendship; my mother, Shunitha, for shouting my name from the rooftops and for her daily prayers; the great community leaders, Lesley Jacob, Thayalan Reddy and Betty Govinden, for their tremendous belief in me and for their professional support; Renos Spanoudes, my main sparring partner in the arts, an innovative artist who inspires me; Chantal Snyman, my other artistic sparring partner, a multi-talented artist, who has always offered me enthusiastic and insightful feedback; Zaakir Ally, my best friend, whose reassuring words and firm hand always picks me up; Durban’s great artistic directors, Themi Venturas and Linda Bukhosini, who have helped to nurture my work and afforded me so many opportunities.
Derosha Moodley, Dolly Reddy, Kogi Singh, Habi Singh, B.P Singh, Geno Moodley, Pallavi Rastogi, Edmund Mhlongo, Jenny Haslett, Ansuyah Moodley, Logan Perumaul, Rubeshan Perumaul, Sheeda Kalideen, Krishni Naidoo, the late Nirej Mothilal, family and friends.
Special Acknowledgement for Contribution to Promotion of Arts and Language by the Indian Cultural Centre, Durban
The Indian Cultural Centre Durban, is the educational and cultural wing of the Indian Consulate in Durban. The Centre has initiated several innovative projects which are contributing to the South African cultural landscape. I am deeply grateful to Consul General of India in Durban Sh Vinod Kumar Sharma and Dr Lesley Jacob for the enduring support of my work.
Ashwin Singh
Foreword
The search for new playwrights and exciting new works is always fraught with a myriad of complex issues. It requires one to open one’s mind to a variety of new ideas, new styles, cultures different from one’s own, hegemonies that are different to one’s own and see beyond one’s own narrow vision of what might or might not be a ‘well made play’. As an artistic director faced with the challenge of bringing new work to the South African public I have deliberated these complexities for some time and have enjoyed the adventure to find works that tell our uniquely Durban and South African stories in an entertaining, thought-provoking and soul-searching way.
I have always known that theatre has the propensity to change one’s life. In fact, my own life’s experience is testimony to that. Fugard’s play Master Harold and the Boys changed the course of my life in the late 70s radically. So, in this search, for ‘life changing’ new works I came upon Ashwin Singh – a Durban-based playwright of Indian descent whose passion for and insight into the theatre seemed alarmingly disproportionate to the time that he had actually spent working in the medium. This passion and insight was backed up by the courage that all playwrights should have to back themselves into production. In Ashwin’s case, he was even prepared to back himself financially. Catalina UnLtd has been proud to be part of these formative years of one of the region’s most prolific playwrights.
The first play I encountered was To House which premiered at the Catalina Theatre. This intelligent work tells the story of the struggle between the ‘old order’ and the ‘new’. It gives us a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people in a housing complex where change is happening. It gives us insight into the emotional and intellectual complexity of having to deal with change – something which affects the whole world in this rapidly changing society that is Planet Earth.
Spice ’n Stuff was my next encounter with Ashwin’s work – first, as an audience member when it premiered at the Catalina Theatre and then later, as a director when it was re-staged on the bigger Playhouse Company stage. Again the playwright gives us valuable insight into the struggle of the Indian community to deal with the changes that are happening in South Africa and in particular the legendary Grey Street. As always, the play is complex and deals with several themes at the same time as we gain entry into the dramatic private lives of the families concerned.
Then came Reoca Light, a panoramic overview of the history and story of the Indian people, and in particular of the lives of a community and family that live in the fictitious suburb of Reoca. It tells of ‘unsung heroes’ from the community whilst the chief protagonist has to preside over the closing of his family’s store as a result of the endemic crime in the suburb.
Two of the plays in the publication, Duped and Beyond the Big Bangs will premiere at the Catalina in 2013 and 2014. I have no doubt that they will be as well received as the plays I have had the pleasure of being involved with so far.
With each work I have seen a wonderful growth in the playwright’s abilities as a storyteller and dramatist. The quality of the dialogue, the rhythms and flow of the works are inviting and beautifully written. With this publication the playwright is at last given the place he deserves. Theatre by its very nature is momentary and transient. It lasts only as long as the production. It is in the publication of the works that we create a legacy allowing the works to remain in our collective memory forever.
Themi VenturasArtistic Director, Catalina UnLtd
Introduction to the Educational Edition
The author and publisher always intended to produce an educational edition of Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice as soon as the original edition was on the market and had received some critical appraisal. They believe that the publication has significant educational value for secondary school learners, particularly in respect of the dramatic depth of the plays, their cultural value in an eclectic society and also the socio-linguistic relevance of the work.
The author took full cognizance of the relevant Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) in compiling this edition and also consulted with teachers of the Dramatic Arts and English Home Language, as well as theatre practitioners. The school’s edition is aimed at both Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners studying either Dramatic Arts or English Home Language. Some of the questions at the end of the book are aimed at both Dramatic Arts and English Home Language learners and some are specifically aimed at Dramatic Arts learners. The questions are also graded, in that there are separate questions for Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners. It is also perfectly reasonable for the book to be considered for Grade 10 learners, particularly the plays Spice ’n Stuff, Reoca Light and Beyond the Big Bangs. Grade 10 learners should be able to answer the Grade 11 questions and engage in most of the creative activities.
This edition has the following innovative features to aid learners in their understanding of the works:
• A biography of the author, which provides information about his involvement in theatre and academia
• A foreword by acclaimed South African director, Themi Venturas
• Critical analysis by renowned academic, Dr Betty Govinden and clinical psychologist, Shantal Singh
• Important notes preceding each play, including descriptions of the characters, the socio-political context and a recommended set design for each work, accompanied by a sketch of the stage layout
• A glossary at the back of the book, which provides definitions of difficult words and non-English words and phrases
• Creative activities at the end of the book to stimulate learners to undertake research and to work in groups
• Exam-style questions on the different plays testing learners’ knowledge of plot, characters, themes and language, as well as some practical application questions.
The first three items also appear in the original edition but the other features have been included to specifically enhance the practical value of the school’s edition. The author and publisher sincerely hope that teachers and learners will find Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice to be an invaluable cultural and literary experience.
Ashwin Singh
Contents
A Critical Overviewby Betty Govinden
Summary and Analysisby Shantal Singh
The Plays
To House (2003)
Duped (2011)
Spice ’n Stuff (2006)
Reoca Light (2010)
Beyond the Big Bangs (2013)
Glossary
Creative Activities
Questions on the Plays
A Critical Overview
Literature has always held up a mirror to society, and this has been no truer than in South Africa. Drama, in particular, has been a robust genre, being part of the warp and weft of the liberation struggle during the apartheid years. Our pantheon of dramatists, many internationally acclaimed, such as Athol Fugard, Lewis Nkosi, Ronnie Govender, Muthal Naidoo, Kessie Govender and Kriben Pillay, have relentlessly exposed South African society to itself, and to the world.
Ashwin Singh, prolific and versatile Durban playwright, director and producer, is among those who has continued to depict the challenges of South African life in contemporary times, and it is good that his compendium of plays, Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice is now being brought to a wider audience.
Ashwin Singh’s plays show that social transition in the current South African multicultural landscape, after political change, is not automatic and assured. We have to work together to create a brave new world. The plays contribute to the deepening of our democracy in that they prompt a critique of many emerging issues in the present time, as we ask: whither the rainbow nation?
The plays are driven by ideals of fair play, equity, freedom and justice, and the longing for a free, non-racial, non-sexist society. Dealing with post-1994 issues pertinent to our prolonged transition in South Africa, they show a betrayal of the ideals of the liberation (‘orgy of greed’), but do not descend into cynicism. Ashwin Singh is clearly writing out of great rootedness in and compassion for the world around him. As Fugard had stated, ‘Love is the only energy I’ve ever had as a writer. I’ve never written out of anger, although anger has informed love.’
Ashwin Singh’s plays show that he is attentive to the living drama of current cross-racial relationships, complex racial and class dynamics, issues of ethnicity and intra-group politics, as he exposes the absurdities of race, gender and class discourses, both old and new. The interplay of past and present (Reoca Light), with the interweaving of loss and unsettling change, in the context of personal lives, is poignant and dramatic. The allusions to generational differences, the vulnerability of the aged, the creeping social malaise, crime, and the pressures of material mobility, show a consciousness that is alert to the changing dynamics of the world around us.
The plays are grounded in a kaleidoscope of material reality. They deal with issues of survival, unemployment, poverty, changing lifestyle patterns (where old family stores give way to malls, as in Spice ’n Stuff); there are the familiar experiences of blue lights, trackers, the body corporate, black-market trading and changing circumstances through loss of livelihood (Duped and To House); and we encounter the modern popular world of South Africa has Talent, and Idols (Duped), or of changing demographics with the coming of the ‘Pakistanis’ and ‘Chinese’ (Spice ’n Stuff).
The plays establish Ashwin Singh as a Durban writer and playwright, as he deftly explores changing trajectories of ordinary, everyday life in the city. In some ways his plays are akin to the project of ‘Undressing Durban’, as they take us away from the neon lights and ‘candy-floss’ to the reality of the underbelly of post-apartheid urban and suburban existence. They remove the lid off marginal or hidden spaces, attentive to the struggle for survival in the city against the backdrop of the official story of the South African ‘miracle’. The recourse to salvation, for example, in ‘casino capitalism’, literally, as in the play Beyond the Big Bangs, shows that for some souls the much-hoped-for Promised Land is retreating. This is also a Durban, set against the hinterland of the rest of the African Continent and of global politics, which is inevitably shaping the imaginaries emerging in South Africa at the present time.
An interesting feature of the plays is the use of a mix of characters, especially Indian, Coloured and African characters, living cheek by jowl in various configurations of relationships, and in collusive or combative dialogue with one another. At the same time, there is no bland, predictable stereotyping. If anything, there is an exposing of stereotyping and an attempt to move away from a persistent apartheid optic. Through his dramatic presentations, Ashwin Singh clearly has his finger on the pulse, seeking provocative and perceptive ways of depicting the shifting terrains of social relationships in our world, but never eclipsing the histories of individuals that have shaped them in different ways.
In a time, arguably, of diminishing intellectual and communal spaces for dissent and protest or even celebration, theatre in South Africa continues to claim its right to explore the fault-lines and fissures of our society, and to create new and more inclusive social alignments. The use of comedy, as in Ashwin Singh’s plays, where people come together to laugh at themselves and one another, but also engage in serious reflection and circumspection about our collective foibles, lifts us out of our post-apartheid depression and lovelessness.
Durban Dialogues, Indian Voice indisputably contributes in its own distinctive way to maintaining an agile and engaged South African public, providing spaces to laugh and to cry, contest or concur, satirise and empathise, think and re-think… They provide, in their own inimitable way, possibilities to re-imagine and re-create a new society in South Africa. As Milan Kundera has noted in The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, ‘To laugh is to live profoundly.’
Dr Devarakshanam Betty GovindenSenior Research Associate, University of KwaZulu-Natal
Summary and Analysis
My earliest recollection of Ashwin’s acumen in the dramatic arts was when we were children. He would create original stories and perform them with vigour and enthusiasm, unperturbed by the fact that I would remonstrate that there must always be a happy ending. His artistic compromise was that he would provide a choice of endings – the audience-appeal ending which received ecstatic applause from me, and the director’s cut which was met with muted disdain that I would not share my stash of sweets with him.
Two fundamental principles are evident from those early experiences. Firstly, that the stories were unashamedly original and reflected the tapestry of our lives with passion and integrity. Secondly, that these stories deserved to be told and were missing from the dialogues of the literary works we were studying in our childhood. I had discovered that as an audience member or a reader, I was no longer a passive recipient but fully capable of engaging with a text that spoke to my mind and exhilarated my heart.
There is no better example of such an enthralling engagement than my reading of Ashwin’s play To House. To House explores the complexities and changing paradigms of living in a multi-cultural sectional titles scheme amidst an emerging South African democracy whereby stability of home, job security, family values, intergenerational relations and interpersonal conflict are brought to the fore. Much of the world seemed convinced that South Africa was engaging in a ‘honeymoon phase’ in the early days of liberation and that colour, creed and class were no longer divisive factors. To House exposes the underbelly of society’s discomfort with dealing with cross-cultural relations as it implodes into our living space.
The harsh and aggressive discourse and the references to sexual expressiveness highlight our basic instincts as human beings while cleverly challenging racist assumptions. The use of food as an opportunity to connect characters, suggests from a psychodynamic perspective, the characters’ over-indulgence in oral gratification due to a deeper emotional connection not being fully realized. The characters have a loose association with each other. This appears to be a deliberate choice by the writer in order to demonstrate that although their lives intertwine in terms of where they live and where two of them work, they choose not to connect beyond superficial engagements with each other. The play offers a wonderful vehicle to challenge one’s own perceptions of shared history, the vicissitudes of the now and the willingness to develop a future as an integrated community.
Duped is a satire which is set on an airship designed to carry out covert operations for the South African government to safeguard the security of the country and international delegates visiting our shores. The cleverness of the work is the multi-faceted themes of ‘Big Brother is watching’ as South Africa enters the realms of international politics; the threats of internal security and challenges of maintaining a productive workforce; gender politics; and the jostling for power along race and class divides. I believe the standout genius in the play is when the ship’s American designer, Mr. Johnson, takes out his latest invention, a reconciliatory chip, and extols: ‘It’s time to forgive me.’ Images of our Truth and Reconciliation Commission come flooding to mind and the path of the healing of our nation following the atrocities of Apartheid are juxtaposed against the positioning of our democracy in present day South Africa. Have we been naïve in claiming a Rainbow Nation? Have the politics of our country aligned with international party politics to provide a monetary value to freedom? It is particularly noteworthy how theft and greed needle through the story, from the ranks of the officials to the fabric of society until it knits a blanket of deception and covers their foibles.
The opening scene of Duped has the airship being ‘battered’ by another jet almost as if to subdue it while the closing scene alludes to the possibility that the chief officers can contemplate some semblance of normality in ordinary pursuits. The play ultimately has an optimistic feel that we can emerge from protracted and vicarious trauma and work in unison as a nation, albeit with compromised ambitions. The hilarious nature of the content allows the reader to laugh at the characters while becoming neither cynical nor judgmental.
A unique take on gender politics is realised in the contrasting positions adopted by Sandra Snyman, the ship’s captain, and Luke Jedison, the ship’s former engineer. Sandra feels like she often has to defend her job title as being legitimate and the result of her professional credentials rather than being influenced by gender favouritism. Luke disguises himself in women’s clothing in order to have a secret meeting and then admonishes passers-by for ‘flirting’ with him. It is a modern examination of patriarchal systems that confine women to stereotypes. The play acknowledges the paramount roles women play in society.
Spice ’n Stuff takes the depiction of women as mothers, wives, employees, employers and friends further by engaging the central character, Rita, in all of these roles. Rita is a shop owner who faces economic and personal challenges in having a spice shop in a street formerly known as Grey Street, which is located in Durban’s central business district. This historical street was where Indian traders were allowed to operate their businesses during the days of Apartheid. Over the years it evolved and included other communities. Rita’s life epitomises that of living in uncertainty. It is usually during such conditions that the external threats to survival and the internal turmoil of personal indiscretions form the catalyst to redefining one’s identity. It is a moving tribute to the multi-layered dimensions of womanhood and suggests that the writer has a keen understanding of gendered identities.
In the anthology, Spice ’n Stuff seems to best capture the pulse of the city as the shopkeepers and vendors try to scrape out a survival. It traces the last days of a group of Grey Street traders as they deal with escalating crime, failing businesses, friendships across racial and cultural denominations and entwined family relationships. The play is certainly not without hope and the pursuit of a dream, sometimes within redefined parameters, drives the heart of the play. The very real nature of Rita as she interacts with the people of the city and is humbled by her experiences makes her an endearing character and enables the reader to engage with her identity. Her questioning of stereotypical notions of womanhood makes for poignant reading.
Reoca Light is perhaps Ashwin’s best tribute to the art of traditional storytelling. It is the only one-person play in the collection and traces the history of a family who had first arrived in South Africa as indentured labourers having relocated from India. The great, great grandfather had dreamed of having a convenience store, a dream which is finally realized by the fourth generation of the original settlers. It is a moving story of unsung heroes and community values and has at its core a sensual nature and spiritual depth.
Sunil, a teacher, has been approached by the local newspaper to comment on his father closing the convenience store following a spate of burglaries and assaults, the last of which has resulted in his being hospitalised. What transpires is that the reporter discovers that Sunil had penned several unpublished stories about the people closely associated with the store and particularly the hut, which is behind the store. Sunil agrees to reveal these stories and through the process celebrates the people who have most influenced his life. It is a refreshing tribute to the survival of oppressed and marginalised people and interrogates the development of a small town community by acknowledging the heroes and exposing the insular nature of some community members who demonstrated racism and secularism. The writing in Reoca Light has a lyricism to it and serves as a reminder of the beauty of sharing stories across generations. It is sad that families seem to seldom spend time recollecting shared histories and remembering the individuals who made significant contributions in their lives. It was therefore wonderful to read a play which was a call-back to oral traditions.
Beyond the Big Bangs tracks a day in the life of three female characters both as they interact with each other and in their individual engagements of the day. I believe the structure of dialogues and long monologues is quite unique and is testimony to the skills of a writer who can command the attention of his reader through diverse and interrelated anecdotes.
Sandra is a domestic worker who has been asked by her employer to work on a Saturday because her culinary and domestic skills are required to make an impression on the guests who will be arriving during the weekend. Gita is a grandmother who lives with her family and chooses to go gambling whenever possible. Lindiwe is a teacher who has to report to a disciplinary hearing following assaulting a student who had frequently provoked her and had made a racist statement. Sandra and Lindiwe work in the area where Gita resides which provides the opportunity for their meeting but it is their individualism and integrity that results in them connecting emotionally. Each character is quite different from the other, possessing contradictions, insecurities and strengths. The value in reading a slice in the life of each of them is that it allows the reader to engage with the façade and then it explores the emotional drive and centredness of the women.
It is not uncommon that the risk of writing about a gender which is not your own may result in an idolising of the characters which then becomes sentimental and stereotypical. Much of the writing made me laugh uproariously and then there were moments which moved me to tears. To create that level of balance is quite a profound skill. The theme of identity construction by virtue of how we are defined in the workplace, to what our race identification may suggest about us, to our life-stage in terms of being an elder in a society which embraces youth, is beautifully constructed and exemplifies a woman in action and within a context.
The anthology is deeply moving, embedded with humour, rich in character construction and has themes that are powerful and engaging. A play can never be solitary and must therefore be constructed with a view to be staged and subjected to audience participation. With this in mind, it must be a humbling process for the artist to watch an audience engage with one’s vision and see one’s works realised. I enjoyed dramatising the various roles as I read through the dialogues and could appreciate myself shifting positions as I temporarily adopted the various personalities of the characters. I applaud the honesty and integrity that has been maintained in the dramatising of the stories that form part of Ashwin’s anthology of plays.
Shantal SinghClinical PsychologistTheatre Producer and Director
TO HOUSE
Characters
Jason(42)A former businessman who is struggling with his displacement in society. He is losing control over his physical space, emotional constitution and political stature in the community.
Sibusiso(29)A law lecturer who emerges as being strongly self invested and willing to assert his ascendance to power. He has a deeper emotional core but is driven to achieve material success in the face of an underprivileged upbringing.
Sanjay(32)A law lecturer who is desperately trying to find a sense of security. He has to determine his role within the personal space of other people.
Kajol(28)Sibusiso’s live-in girlfriend, she’s a marketing officer who is assertive and independent. She has forsaken some of her family because their views conflict with those of her own in terms of their poor regard for her relationship with Sibusiso and the inappropriate treatment of her mother.
Deena(53)Kajol’s uncle, a successful entrepreneur who is driven by a need to assert his power within his family and in the business sphere. He is adamant that inter-racial relationships should be discouraged and is willing to entrench this belief at all costs.
Nimrod(35)A gardener in the sectional titles complex, he is a dignified and hardworking man. He goes about his business in a quiet and deliberate manner, and whilst he may not be fully aware of the enmeshed relationships in the complex, he has a philosophical nature.
Setting
Oaklands, a sectional titles scheme, in a middle class post-Apartheid suburb in the city of Durban.
Socio-political Context
To House is set during the time that much of the international community perceived as the “honeymoon period” for South Africa. This was a period between the mid 1990s and the early years of the new millennia, during which time the iconic Nelson Mandela served as South Africa’s first democratically elected president and then Thabo Mbeki served his first term as president. Most of the action of the play occurs on one afternoon and the last scene happens on a particular morning two weeks later. However, the author is suggesting that the play’s events could have occurred at any time during this “honeymoon period”.
The first decade of South Africa’s democracy was characterized by genuine attempts at reconciliation, driven by Mandela’s inspired leadership and institutions like the Constitutional Court and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was also a period of sound macro-economic policy. However, the stench of Apartheid had not completely dissipated and the majority of South Africa’s black African population still lived in abject poverty. The transformation of emergency services, public health, education and the housing sector was happening at an alarmingly slow pace. There were still many racist people in South Africa, black and white, but perhaps most significantly, South Africa was shifting towards a class-based struggle. The idea then that we were experiencing a “honeymoon period” was superficial and inaccurate.
To House examines the complexities and contradictions of South Africa’s evolving democracy and poses a fundamentally important question – how do we live together? It exposes South Africa’s shift towards more subtle forms of racism, which are mainly revealed in our boardrooms and living rooms and also focuses on the increasing class divisions across cultural denominations.
The title To House means to accommodate. The full range of the meaning of these words across South Africa’s multi-cultural milieu are explored in this play.
Recommended Set Design
The action takes place in two lounges, which are almost identical in terms of furniture and styling, and the park opposite the sectional titles scheme. It is recommended that one physical space be used to represent the two lounges with the coffee table being removed and replaced for the relevant scenes, and a variation of lighting to emphasize the difference. The lounge setting will occupy the bulk of the stage. The common furniture includes a recliner, a two-seater couch, a side-table and a drinks table. The park design, which consists of a park bench and a fir tree, occupies the far left stage. Alternatively, two separate lounges could be created and this would entail exploring a few moments of action in the one lounge whilst a major scene occurs simultaneously in the other lounge. The use of one space to represent both lounges has greater political and territorial symbolic significance. The creation of both lounges provides a more obvious aesthetic representation and can also provide a degree of flexibility to the director to make a direct comparison between the characters in the two houses.
Stage Layout
This is merely a basic sketch of the layout. No flatage is depicted.
SCENE 1
Jason’s lounge. Lights come up on Jason standing next to the recliner. Jason covers the recliner. He is interrupted by a cell phone ring after one minute. Cell phone rings. Jason answers the telephone.
Hello. Yes. (Pause) She can’t come? But the chair is waiting for her. Who is this? She said she would come at eleven. (Pause) (Sarcastically) Oh, that’s great. (Pause) No, I won’t be here tomorrow. Tell her to phone me on Monday. (He hangs up.) Fucking bitch. (Jason walks across stage uneasily, then picks up the phone and dials Joe.)Joe. It’s Jason here. Well thanks. Listen, it’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we go for a stroll on the beach after lunch? Sanjay is coming for lunch. (Pause) What do you mean, again? He makes delicious food. That’s why I need a stroll after that. (Pause) Oh. Ja. So you’re going there. Well, another time then. We must talk man. You know, we live in the same complex, but we hardly seem to chat these days. (Pause) No, sure. I realise you’re busy. Alright then. Take care.
Jason ends the call and looks concerned. He begins pacing again, looking impatiently at his watch. He walks to the window, looks out and notices a gardener called Nimrod.
Hey umfaan. Hey Nimrod! You saw Justus today? Mildred told me someone hit him yesterday evening at the park kiosk. Did you see him this morning?
Ja.
Is he okay?
No. His hand is hurt. I think it’s broken, maybe.
Did he go to the doctor?
Ai. I think he’s resting. Maybe he’ll go later.
Tell him he must go to the doctor. Tell him, er… tell him, if he hasn’t got money, he must come see me on Monday. I’ll take him to the doctor.
Alright baas.
Did he tell you who hit him?
No. He said he was Indian. But I don’t know if he knows him. Maybe… maybe he’s scared.
He must tell me who. I don’t care if he’s Indian. Whatever. I’ll sort him out. Nobody assaults my boy.
Ja baas.
Jason is about to close the window but pauses and notices something.
What’s this Khumalo? More furniture? Hey, that looks exactly like my recliner. You fucking copycat. Hey Nimrod. Did you see how boss Khumalo is trying to copy boss Jason’s lounge.
Ja baas. Because your house is too beautiful. That’s why he’s copying you.
Thanks Nimrod. Hey. Be careful you don’t cut your boss Anderson’s petunias. You nearly cut it now. Ja. And Nimrod, please can you trim those overhanging branches. You know, with my buggered leg I can’t reach there. Thank you Nimrod. (Goes to the recliner and removes the covers. He sits on it and speaks to the audience.) Enjoy your new seat of power, Mr Khumalo. I’ll have my final say before I hand over chairmanship of the body corporate. Oaklands will be the way it was again. The way it should always be.
Blackout.
SCENE 2
The park opposite Oaklands. Lights come up on Sanjay sitting on the park bench, looking around uneasily. He is thinking, uncomfortably, about something. He stares ahead, pensively, for a few seconds. Then he takes out his cell phone and dials his mother. His facial expression indicates disappointment as he has received her answering machine.
Hello ma. Sorry I missed you. I guess you left early for your meeting. I woke up early today, and I finished prepare lunch. I made your favourite. Anyway, I wanted to ask you to find out about the er, takeaway thing, before you came over. I need to move on that. Er, Jenkins phoned me this morning. He said he overheard Prof. say that they’re bringing in a professor from Ghana, to lecture criminal law next year. It must be Sibu’s influence. I’m worried about my job ma. (Short pause. Then Sanjay speaks at a hurried pace.) Anyway ma, please ask Beena if her husband can confirm that he’s selling his property. It’s the ideal location for the takeaway. And find out how much he wants. Thanks ma. See you later.
He ends the call, puts his phone away and lights a cigarette. After a few seconds Kajol enters. She notices Sanjay and stops.
Hi Sanjay. (Sanjay stands up enthusiastically.)
Hello Kajol. How are you?
Fine. How are you?
Well, thanks. Did you work today?
Yes. I had a presentation at the Thekweni Centre.
How did it go?
Very well. How was your trip?
Very productive. I have some interesting information for my article with Sibu. Actually, I was about to come see him now.
Oh, no, don’t come right now. He’ll be in the middle of his Saturday morning African music ritual. He doesn’t like to be disturbed.
Oh.
Ja, but come over in about an hour. I know your article is important.
It is.
Sibu was telling me that your department is going to be doing some exciting projects next year.
Oh, er ja. We have to write this article first though. I haven’t been published this year. Got to get published you know. Or else.
I guess academic life has more pressures than people realise, hey?
It does. (Softly) For some of us. Er, how’s your ma?
Er, not well. My brother… You know, he’s irresponsible sometimes.
Is there anything I can do?
No, it’s okay. I’ll sort it out. Thanks Sanjay. Well, I’ll see you later.
Er, you’ll be at yoga class on Thursday?
I might not make it this week, Sanjay. I have a meeting and I don’t know how long it’s going to last.
Oh, that’s a pity. The Swami is coming this week.
Oh, it’s disappointing that I’ll miss him.
Well, he’s down for a couple of weeks. Maybe you and I can take him out for lunch?
Er, ja, maybe. I’ll let you know. Okay then. (She turns to go, then stops and turns back.) Welcome back, Sanjay. Thursday evenings weren’t the same without you.
Sanjay smiles.
Blackout.
SCENE 3
Sibusiso’s lounge. Lights come up on Sibusiso doing a little jig and then some shadow boxing. After this, he sits on his new recliner. His lounge is exactly like Jason’s except that he does not have a coffee table. He stares into space, a content smile on his face.
Woh! This chair is so good. (He leans back in the chair, then picks up his mother’s photograph from the side table and looks at it fondly.) Look at me now Mama. This is all mine. Just like you said. I remember, Mama, when Thabo and I were students at the varsity. We would walk down this street sometimes. And I would say to him. Thabo, when they make me a lecturer I’m going to get that blue cottage. And for you. The pink one next to it. (Pause) I wish you were here Mama. I wish you could have put your feet up like this. After cooking all day for that bastard. (He kisses the photograph and leaves it on the side-table again. He reclines further and closes his eyes. Then he moves forward slowly and slowly gets up. He looks at the chair, then looks at his watch and strolls to the window. He looks out for a few seconds, then notices Nimrod entering.)Hey Nimrod. Did you come through Parklands Road today?
Ja, Sibu.
What are the squatters doing? Is it quiet?
No. They are fighting.
Fighting?
Ja.
I must go there later. (Back through the window.) Sharp Nimrod. (Sibusiso is about to close the window, then notices something.) Hey Nimrod. What are you doing? You are cutting the flowers. Be careful.
Sorry, Sibu.
Sharp. (He closes the window and walks back to his chair.)
Kajol enters in a huff. She looks at him, half-smiling. Nimrod exits right stage.
So? How did your presentation go?
Very well.
So? Did you, hey? Did you get the contract?
Yes. (Sibusiso is happy. He hugs Kajol affectionately.)
Good job. So you are going to get the promotion now?
Er, most probably.
We must celebrate. Let’s go to… No. I will make supper. A curry.
Wow. I’ll take out my apron just in case.
No, I’ll do it. Just for you.
Oh, thank you darling. (She kisses him gently.) What are you going to have for lunch?
No, I’m not hungry. (She lets go of him.) Where are you rushing?
I have to go and make lunch for my ma.
Why?
Because dear brother and his porcelain wife have gone out for the day. And left ma alone. Without any food. Sheila, their neighbour said she found her on the floor drooling.
Aw, that’s bad.
I’m sick of them. Last week that bitch swore at my ma and threatened to put her in an old age home. Last month they dumped her at Uncle Deena’s for a week because her flippin cousins came to stay. Ma should never have given him the house. It just took him a few months to upset everything… I want to just–
Take it easy baby. C’mon, this is your day. It will get sorted.
No, it won’t.
She exits to fetch something and returns with a few cans of food. She looks at the recliner.
So you bought a new chair.
Yes. For me to relax in the evening. Smoke my pipe. (Kajol frowns.) You don’t like it.
Can we afford it?
I can afford it. Er, look it’s very well made. It’s genuine leather.
In the three months we’ve lived together Sibu, you’ve bought a new TV, DVD player, countless software and now a recliner. I’ve bought nothing.
Hey, I need these things. We both use them.
Never mind. You now have a lounge which is almost identical to Jason’s.
He’s got good taste.
When are you buying his coffee table?
Aish Kajol. We said I must decorate the house.
Whatever. I have to go. I’ll be a little while. I’m going to pick Aunty Savy and leave her with ma. See you later. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Kevin may be coming later.
Again. He just came on Thursday.
He wanted some legal advice.
It’s Saturday, Kajol. Is his whole family coming too? His little son as well? So he can shit on my new carpet again? (Kajol is dismayed.)
Okay Sibu, I’ll tell him not to come.
No Kajol, you see, you know your cousins are always coming here. Whenever they feel like it. They don’t even phone.
They like you. Aren’t you glad they’re not all like Uncle Deena?
Ja, but er, you see today is for us to celebrate. Just us.
I know. I know. I’ll tell him.
Tell him to phone me on Monday.
Okay. See you later, darling.
Give your mum my regards. Tell her she’s in my prayers.
Do you want to come with me?
No, I can’t. I want to do some work on my article. And I have to prepare supper. I want my curry to be just right for you.
Blackout.
SCENE 4
Sibusiso’s lounge. Lights come up as Sibusiso is entering from the kitchen.
Ai, blast it. I can’t do this shit. (He grabs his cell phone and dials.) Hello. Bobby. How are you, my man? Sharp. Listen, my friend. I need you to make your special fish curry for me. (Pause) Just me and Kajol. Ja. The other curry. The one she didn’t taste. Ja. (Pause) (Irritated) No, it’s not the last supper. (Pause) I’m going to speak to her. I – I don’t know when. Just make my food. (Pause)
Doorbell rings.
One hour. Okay. Sharp.
Doorbell rings.
Sanjay.
Hello Sibusiso.
When did you get back?
Yesterday afternoon.
I thought you were coming on Monday.
I finished early. My interviews went very well.
Working hard, heh?
Yes. Can I come…?
Yes. Come in. (They enter the lounge.) What’s that? (He points to the parcel Sanjay is carrying.)
Just some kebaabs and roti. (He hands it to Sibusiso.) For you and Kajol.
Thank you, my man. Take a seat.
Sibusiso exits with the parcel. Sanjay remains standing and looks at the recliner. Sibusiso re-enters.
You bought a new chair.
Yes.
It’s just like Jason’s. (Pause) Your lounge is identical to Jason’s.
Not identical.
Yes, it is. Except for the coffee table.
Well… your friend has got good taste.
My friend? (Unsure what Sibusiso is driving at.)
Yes. (Awkward pause.) Is that your research? (Hepoints to a large file which Sanjay is carrying.)
Yes. Transcripts of the interviews. Prof. van Rensburg’s articles. And my analysis. (He hands the file to Sibusiso but Sibusiso doesn’t take it.)
Sanjay. Er, I’m not going to write the article with you.
What? Why not?
Because I’m writing the article with Prof. Hamilton. But not now. I’m working on an article about the squatters in Parklands Road now. You know that park is pathetic. And nobody is taking care of it. Nobody uses it. They come to our park. The government promised–
I don’t care. This was supposed to be my holiday. And I spent it on research in Joburg for the department. So that you and I could–
Yes. And it’s good for the department. But you must write the article yourself. (Hedging) Prof and I… we are going to take a different angle–
Different angle?
Yes.
What angle?
We are not going to talk about it now. In the meantime, you write this–
Oh, and you think they’re going to publish my article without your name on it?
You have published other articles.
Ja, but suddenly Hamilton has major problems with my articles. Besides, everybody knows that very few Indian academics are getting published in the law journal these days. Sibu, you know Hamilton is watching me. If I don’t publish this year… they’re trying to push me out.
That’s nonsense.
Is it?
Listen, Sanjay, I’m very interested in researching white-collar crime. But I don’t want to write the article right now. Last week one of the firms I was researching called me and said they want me to do some ethics workshops for their employees.
Ethics workshops?
Yes. Quite a few of their employees committed theft and fraud against the company recently. So they want me to help with their new ethics programme. You know most of these companies don’t charge their workers because of bad publicity. They just dismiss them.
Which company wants to hire you?
Superview Real Estate.
That’s Jason’s former company.
Yes.
Anyway, this won’t take up much time.
If you want to do it right, it will. Anyway, I’ve also got the new module on human rights law to lecture.
Human rights law? Prof. told me I was going to lecture that module.
What do you know about human rights?
What do I know about human rights? You think because you are black that only you can teach human rights?
No, I think because I am an expert that I can teach human rights. I have vast experience in that sphere, in academia and practice. And I have the power of articulation. People want to listen to me.
You know what I think? I think you wanted to get rid of me for a couple of weeks. That’s all you need. So you can curry favour with Prof. Hamilton. Suck up to the big white professor. Get rid of the charou. Like they’re doing all over campus.
You are mad.
I am mad! You are playing games with me, Mr. Khumalo. I can see right through you. You’re all the same. Ntuli tried the same thing before he left for Wits. And now–
I am not Ntuli. He went to private school. His father was a doctor. I stayed in Ntuzuma!
Here we go. I don’t care. You are a liar.
I am a Christian. I don’t lie.
So what if you are Christian? I’m a Hindu. You think Hindus are liars?
You listen now, little man. You get out of my house. I will see you in Prof’s office on Monday. Let’s see what she says. (Sanjay withdraws, then stops and turns back slowly.)
Look Sibu, I – I don’t want to cause trouble in the department. But I… you know I worked hard on this article.
So write it yourself.
Y– yes. I will. I… we are teachers Sibu. And researchers. We are supposed to be shaping young minds.
That’s what I’m trying to do.
So am I. I’ve worked damn hard without recognition.
You’ve worked hard! I work eighteen hours a day. While you sit in the canteen talking about your favourite food with students, I’m slogging in my office, or my study.
You’re saying I’m not committed, Sibu?
I’m saying… I’m saying you don’t have to give everything because if things don’t work out for you, some uncle of yours somewhere, will let you run his shop. (Sanjay shakes his head sadly.)
You should share your views about Indian uncles with Kajol. The stereotypical Indian shopkeepers you keep seeing in TV commercials, are not my relatives, Mr. Khumalo.
Sanjay exits slowly. Sibusiso looks at him awkwardly.
Blackout.
SCENE 5
Lights come up as Nimrod walks across the stage, whistling happily, and carrying a small grass trimmer. Then we see Jason entering his lounge and sitting on the couch.
Jason stares into space, looking miserable. Sanjay enters and quietly creeps up behind Jason, without being noticed. Slowly, he reaches up to Jason’s mouth and places a samoosa before it. Jason bites it slowly and closes his eyes in ecstasy.
Hmm. Woh. Hmm. So good. (Sanjay comes around and hands Jason a roti. Jason takes it slowly and tucks into it.) Hmm. Delicious. (Sanjay sits down, puts his food parcel on the coffee table
