The fight for land and culture
KUDU
DIRECTOR: Lwanda Sindaphi CAST: Beviol Swartz, Emmanuel Ntsamba, Livie Ncanywa, Luthando Mvandaba, Lwando Magwaca, Natasha Gana, Zizipho Quluba, Inge Isaacs CHOREGRAPHER: Jennie Reznek VENUE: Baxter Flipside, until March 10 RATING: ★★★★★
ATOUGH issue lightly clothed in poetry is what this stimulating production from Magnet Theatre has to offer. Possession of land, with its concomitant wealth and power, is a hotly debated topic, and is central to the action of Kudu. However, to regard this play as essentially political is to overlook the other, and far more universal subject of cultural genocide which imbues the work with poignancy and philosophical import.
Set a decade or so from now, Kudu explores the drama attendant on competition for land between the AmaXhosa nation (symbolised by gemsbok horns) and the Khoi-coloured (symbolised by kudu horns). The disputed land is not much more than a mountain inhabited by a povertystricken community of AmaXhosa, but it is neither the extent nor the potential prosperity of this terrain which inspires the Khoi-coloured claim.
It is its cultural and historical significance that motivates the latter to repossess it, since it was once the realm of the Khoi chief Ndoda who was killed in the dispute over his fiefdom.
The cast of eight under Lwanda Sindaphi’s direction form a tight ensemble, apparent at the outset from the collectively-voiced prologue which sets the scene and theme. Thereafter, although each member of the unit has an identity in the context of the action, this impression of cohesion is reinforced rather than diminished, largely due to the archetypal character of the personae: the Child, the Mother, the Ruler, and so on.
The recurrent use of animal horns subtly undermines human individuality, as the contestants for land possession become absorbed into their respective tribal identity. Jennie Reznek’s imaginative choreography is a powerful vehicle for expressing the drama of the situation, both on stage and in silhouette on a backdrop.
Asiphe Lili, under Craig Leo’s mentorship, delivers a set of earthy simplicity in which the inclusion of soils lends itself to portrayal of landlust as the characters literally cover themselves with it to convey their passion to possess it.
For the kudu-bearing Khoi-coloured – abused, dispossessed and callously consigned to extinction – what accompanies the physical ownership of this meagre piece of land is recognition of their tradition, their culture, and their very right to existence…
Sindaphi’s script is replete with lines of poetic beauty and eloquence, among which is one that encapsulates the thrust of Kudu: “The past whispers to the present that the future is doomed…”
Few could fail to be moved by this inspired piece of theatre that is topical and universal.