‘Sullied’digsdeepinto rape culture and the psychology of violence
COMPELLING new dance piece Sullied explores what scholar Pumla Dineo Gqola calls South Africa’s “Female Fear Factory”: rape.
Written by Nomakhwezi Becker and directed by Matjamela Motloung, Sullied is choreographed by the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Dance 2021, Kristi-leigh Gresse.
Sullied will run at the Market Theatre from November 24 to December 11.
It explores the themes of religion, body politics, racism, gender, sexuality, rape culture, and toxic masculinity in a politically charged country led by powerful male politicians.
Motloung told IOL Entertainment the production examines the psychological effects of patriarchal ideologies and misogyny.
“In Sullied, the story is not told purely from a survivor or victim’s point of view. We also try to explore the perpetrator’s mind. We wanted to create an art piece that speaks to the psychology of violence instead of the psychology of the survivor.
“So the approach was how do we perceive the two worlds; be sympathetic and empathetic to the victims of gender-based violence, particularly looking at the story of Khwezi (Aids activist Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo, who alleged former South African president Jacob Zuma raped her, in 2005), and say, ‘this is the woman who was ostracised and victimised by an entire section of society and we ask ourselves, ‘Is this a universal feeling that victims of abuse have?” Motloung said.
“So my role really came then to say: How do we encourage a conversation that doesn’t point fingers but helps take responsibility around how victims of abuse are treated?”
According to Motloung, the production also questions the structure of patriarchy and its systems used to justify its control and manipulation of women and their bodies.
“The production interrogates the effects that patriarchal ideologies and misogyny have on the human psyche, specifically, the way these ideologies affect how we as human beings interact with one another.”
Motloung said the ethos of Sullied uses dance, silence, spoken word and sign language to tell a powerful story about the structures that inform the daily strife South African women face.
The show also introduces Andiswa Gebashe, who lands a sign-language performance in a first for South African theatre, as no production before this has had a sign-language performer not just interpreting but being a part of the cast, making this production accessible to a variety of patrons.
“There are over two million deaf people in South Africa and GBV is very high within the deaf community,” said Motloung. “These communities have no way of accessing or sharing information because we still have cops that are ill-equipped where sign language is concerned.
“I hope this play will open up different conversations in the deaf community, but also sensitise the hearing community to the problems that exist in the deaf community.
“I hope South Africans would take interest in the production because we all know someone who is abused or someone who is an abuser. But we don’t get time to reflect and act on these realities, so we hope people would look at the work and consciously say, ‘I am an abuser or I know someone who is an abuser and actually do something about it’.”
Sullied premieres at the Market Theatre on November 24 and will run until December 11. Tickets at Webtickets, R190 to R150.
JOBURG
Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp
Where: Theatre of Marcellus at Emperors Palace
When: November 25 to December 4.
This new and extravagant production of Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp is the brainchild of producer Anjil Naidoo.
During a life-threatening health journey, Naidoo came to the realisation that creating world-class theatre for a family audience was something on her bucket list that was achievable and needed.
Determined to showcase the abundance of South African talent, Naidoo wrote an original text of the Aladdin story and set about putting together a creative team of theatre professionals that would bring her vision to the stage.
DURBAN
Flatfoot Access Dance Festival
Where: Courtyard Theatre, Durban University of Technology
When: November 25. Flatfoot Dance Company is delighted to offer its first Flatfoot Access Dance Festival on November 25 at 6pm at the Courtyard Theatre, Durban University of Technology.
Three new works created by Flatfoot will be showcased, celebrating the power of dance to transcend narrow definitions of who can dance.
Flatfoot’s approach to community dance development in KZN has seen it offering what artistic director, Dr Lliane Loots, calls “a dance philosophy and practice we refer to as ‘living democracy’, where we find ways to make dance accessible to all, no matter physical or intellectual ability, geography, race, gender and any other intersectional category around identity”.
CAPE TOWN
Aunty Merle, Only This Time Things Get Real!
Where: Baxter Theatre.
When: November 29 to January 21. It’s been two long years and Merle Abrahams from Belgravia Road has survived Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions and is just about finding her way through the darkness of load shedding.
This time around, however, things are about to get very real as Dennis, her loving husband, has been found to be keeping a secret from her. One which has affected his heart and is about to turn Merle’s world upside down.
“I wrote this one at a time when the world seems to have gone mad. I could not avoid having much of that chaos reflected in the story. The challenge has been to remain truthful in this regard, but to still ensure that there’s laughter,” said Marc Lottering.
“How do we encourage a conversation that doesn’t point fingers but helps take responsibility around how victims of abuse are treated?”
Matjamela Motloung