Classic play resurfaces with all-female cast in Asinamali
Municipal costs, burden on black women spark new twist in show
For the past 37 years, the classic story Asinamali (We don’t have money) has been told only by male actors.
A new era has come and for the first time, the play features an all-women cast.
Theatre lovers will get to experience history in the making as Asinamali is staged as part of the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. The show opened yesterday with two performances, one of which was sold out.
Written by Mbongeni Ngema and produced by Peter Mokgosi, the play features young and energetic women from Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom in the North West. The female cast is made up of Liza Mogorosi, 23, Nondumiso Mbetha, 25, Onica Motone, 26, Lebohang Nthoba, 30, Girly Louw, 23, and Verelyn Witbooi, 44. Most actors in the cast were exposed to theatre for the first time when they joined Mokgosi early this year.
The original play was inspired by events during and after the 1983 rent strike in Lamontville township in Durban, led by activist Msizi Dube. During the time, township houses were properties of municipalities and black families living in them had to pay rent. The amount was steep for many households who got by with incomes from poorly paying jobs. The situation has come back to haunt the poor once again, as many people today battle to keep up with payments of municipal services and electricity.
Despite it’s heavy theme, the sad story is told through dance, singing and lot of humour.
Mokgosi appeals to theatre lovers to be open-minded when going to the see latest production.
“What people can expect when they come to see the show is the same energy in the men’s show. [However] the feMokgosi male actors are telling the classic story the way it is supposed to be,” he said.
“This is a classic story that many young people do not know about. We want to create the interest among them because we want to educate them through these women. We put it right there on stage the way it is. They are full of energy.”
The idea of casting women for Asinamali is in line with the reality of today as black women have become leaders of the majority households in SA.
Mokgosi said the idea for a women’s cast came to him in 2019. He said he shared the idea with Ngema who loved it and gave him the go-ahead.
“I am trying to empower women with skills that were previously male dominated. In Potchefstroom the arts industry is male dominated and I want to change that.
“We have staged the show in areas like Potchefstroom, Orkney and Ottosdal and people loved it. We plan to stage it in August for Women’s Month.”
Cast member Lebohang Nthoba said the high interest in the show among theatre goers was putting them under a lot pressure.
“Everyone has been asking about the show which means they want to see what we can do on stage. We just have to put in more hard work but we are not intimidated. We are going to kill it. When it comes to the script it was difficult at first because portraying an opposite gender is not easy. We are proud of our effort.”
“We are enjoying every minute of it. Before joining North West Development Agency I knew nothing about Asinamali. I have come to understand that it is classic story that is very important for our heritage.”
Mokgosi, the owner of the Potchefstroom-based agency, has been working in theatre for 33 years. Apart from acting, his company also trains young people in stage crafts such as lighting and sound design. He is an award-winning lighting stage designer in his own right. “After working at the Market Theatre as lighting director, I decided to go back home in 2020. It was time for me to impart knowledge to young people. It was time for me to take this knowledge that I have been gathering where it belongs.”
*Asinamali will be staged at Rehearsal Room in Makhanda until Sunday.