A production celebrating the coronation of Xhosa King Zwelonke Sigcawu is among the shows being performed at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
My People, My Church focuses on the king and Xhosa nation at large. It features artists from Mbhashe and Buffalo City Metro.
“Initially we wanted to reflect on the old and new South African parliaments and also raise questions about the role that indigenous churches can play in society, but after the coronation we decided to revise the storyline. We decided to focus on the Xhosa people,” said director Ncedo India.
India said the production comprised indigenous music and dance. “We could not pay tribute to the Xhosa people without mentioning the leaders, especially the king. We are focusing on the king and his recent coronation. In this case, he is the one saying ‘my people, my church’ in our production,” he said.
India said the idea to change his production came after attending the king’s coronation.
“We had various groups who performed on the big day . From that day I had this idea about My People, My Church,” he said.
India said after reworking their production last month, they took it to the king to get his final word. “On June 18 we took the production to him at Nqadu Great Place. He and his leadership watched it and he was happy with it,” India said.
King Sigcawu confirmed that he saw the production.
“Everything they showed me was a true reflection of our culture. It was very beautiful. The only issue I have is the language. If they are telling the story of the Xhosa nation, I feel they should have used isiXhosa instead of English.”
Sigcawu said the production “spoke about things that could help change the lives of South Africans for the better”.
India said: “We talk about the Xhosa lineage right up to the recent coronation.”
He said he hoped those who saw the production would leave feeling inspired and challenged at the same time. “We want to liberate our people; we want them to see their Xhosa roots and be inspired to live their lives without fear.”
The show will be performed at Masonic Back from today until Sunday.
l More on the festival on page 11. —poliswap@dispatch.co.za
Play celebrates Xhosa monarch’s coronation
My People, My Church focuses on the king and Xhosa nation at large. It features artists from Mbhashe and Buffalo City Metro.
“Initially we wanted to reflect on the old and new South African parliaments and also raise questions about the role that indigenous churches can play in society, but after the coronation we decided to revise the storyline. We decided to focus on the Xhosa people,” said director Ncedo India.
India said the production comprised indigenous music and dance. “We could not pay tribute to the Xhosa people without mentioning the leaders, especially the king. We are focusing on the king and his recent coronation. In this case, he is the one saying ‘my people, my church’ in our production,” he said.
India said the idea to change his production came after attending the king’s coronation.
“We had various groups who performed on the big day . From that day I had this idea about My People, My Church,” he said.
India said after reworking their production last month, they took it to the king to get his final word. “On June 18 we took the production to him at Nqadu Great Place. He and his leadership watched it and he was happy with it,” India said.
King Sigcawu confirmed that he saw the production.
“Everything they showed me was a true reflection of our culture. It was very beautiful. The only issue I have is the language. If they are telling the story of the Xhosa nation, I feel they should have used isiXhosa instead of English.”
Sigcawu said the production “spoke about things that could help change the lives of South Africans for the better”.
India said: “We talk about the Xhosa lineage right up to the recent coronation.”
He said he hoped those who saw the production would leave feeling inspired and challenged at the same time. “We want to liberate our people; we want them to see their Xhosa roots and be inspired to live their lives without fear.”
The show will be performed at Masonic Back from today until Sunday.
l More on the festival on page 11. —poliswap@dispatch.co.za
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