Iyasa honours late member

AWARD-WINNING group — Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) in partnership with Theatro Piccolo (Vienna, Austria) on Monday held a virtual show for the production of Elephant Moon in memory of its late member Sibonisiwe “The Original” Sithole (pictured).

Sithole, who was one of the founding members of Iyasa, died last

October at United Bulawayo Hospitals after a short illness. Iyasa director Nkululeko Innocent Dube told NewsDay Life & Style yesterday that the show was virtually held due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings.

“A theatre company we work with in Austria — Theatro Piccolo dedicated the performance to the late Sithole who was a part of the cast and performance. Bonnie passed on last year during lockdown and since then we have not done anything on the international scene,” he said.

Dube said the production — Elephant Moon was a children’s play, a satire about greed.

“Through storytelling, puppetry, music, acting and dance, a story is told of how an elephant stole pumpkins from a shared field with the rabbit. Under his guard, pumpkins disappeared,” he said. “In the end, the rabbit decided to find out and hid in one of the pumpkins which got swallowed by elephant. He became a conscience that spoke in elephant reminding him of his greed and unfairness.” Dube said due to the COVID-19-induced restrictions that have seen the creative sector remain banned to curb the spread of the virus, it was time to repackage content and dish it out using social media platforms.

“Nothing much is happening in terms of performances despite the relaxation of lockdowns. The arts are still restricted. Online is currently the option and this is where we are trying to find ways to rekindle ourselves,” he said.

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