Morwa goes to Germany

A theatre production, Morwa, the rising Son, is produced by Tefo Paya, directed by Warren Nebe and features Thabang Molefe

Morwa, the Rising Son, a theatre performance by Tefo Paya, is set to make history this winter. The play, which features Thabang Molefe and is directed by Warren Nebe, is penciled to feature at the upcoming Ausschitt ( Bright View) festival in Stuttgart, Germany. It will be the first time that the play that has previously been performed in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa is performed in Europe. The Aussicht Festival takes place on May 13th and 14th.

According to Paya, the event was created in 2013, and it has since been adopted to be more relevant to today’s youth.

“The language used, choice of dance and poetry are some of the elements that have been adopted. The design of the play has also evolved, the aesthetic is reflective of the world that young Batswana live within,” he said.

Morwa, he explains, is a story about Morwa, a young Motswana on a journey of self- discovery to what it means to be a man. “Morwa, is a Setswana word meaning son or the male child,” he explains.

He also notes that the play is based on personal narrative, and looks to evoke dialogue around the challenges faced by adolescent boys in Botswana. He further notes that the play looks to get the youth talking about issues of identity, adolescence and growing up as a teenager in

Botswana.

“This play is relevant to all teenagers, girls and boys, because it unpacks what happens when a child transitions from pre- teens to adulthood. The play tackles difficult issues of puberty, sex, abuse. violence and trauma. It tackles these stories through Morwa’s story which is filled with lots of humour, sadness, love, pain and overall challenges of growing up,” he explains noting that as producers, they hoped that the story will open up dialogue, and inspire the youth to share challenges with the hope of finding lasting solutions.

And to coincide with this historic event, the local audiences in the form of school going teens aged 15 to 19 years will also have a chance to see the play through an initiative dubbed ‘ Sponsor a Student’ tickets. Tickets for the show are P80 per student.

According to organisers, these will cover show costs, logistics, food and accommodation. The idea, is to host a series of shows in various parts of the country throughout April and May. For this project, producers have partnered with the Botswana Schools Drama Association ( BOSSDA), who will help to facilitate access to the learners. After each performance, there will be dialogue around issues raised by the play as well as on the technical aspects of the play, says organisers.