Powerful musical about early Aids prejudices
MUSA Njoko relied on her faith to keep her strong when even her church rejected her after she contracted HIV/Aids. She is probably one of the first people to publicly disclose her status. As an artist and musician she created a musical to share her experience and empower others.
The musical In My Own Voice chronicles her challenges of living with and surviving HIV/Aids for 22 years and is to be staged in the Playhouse Opera theatre in Durban.
The production will run from July 21 to 24.
Njoko, who disclosed her status in 1994, crafted an original musical theatre production which chronicles her triumphs and challenging personal journey as one of the country’s earliest Aids activists.
Directed by Edmund Mhlongo and choreographed by Delani Makaye and Thami Njoko, In My Own Voice features a cast of 16 performers with a five-piece band under the musical direction of Wanda Kwela.
In creating her groundbreaking new work, Njoko has sought to give expression to the faith that sustained her through her darkest times of feeling abandoned by those around her, as she struggled to come to terms with her deteriorating health during the early days of the Aids pandemic.
Facing the rejection that stemmed from widespread ignorance and prejudice, not least from her close associates, Njoko was even expelled from her church, she recalls. But she never lost her grip on her religion and the faith which gradually and miraculously enabled her to triumph over her adversity, empowering her with the knowledge that she was meant to share her experience with others, and so help them come to terms with life’s many challenges.
“We live in a world dominated by fear, mistrust and societal fragmentation. Our families are damaged by the hurt of abandonment, unkindness and cruelty,” says Njoko. “We need to build and nurture a conducive environment in which we can all share our past with each other, and heal our hurt through communicating truthfully and learning to understand each other, and by learning to love each other.”
In My Own Voice is on at the Playhouse Opera Theatre at 7pm on July 21 and 22, at 3pm and 7pm on July 23. There’s another matinee on July 24 at 3pm.
Tickets are R120 (R60 pensioners and students). Book at Shoprite/Checkers, or at www.computicket.com, or the Playhouse box office at 0313699540 or 031369 9596 (office hours). No under 12s.
In My Own Voice,The Musical, is being staged as part of the Aids 2016 global conference in Durban.